PORT MATILDA PRIMARY AREA OF INFLUENCE

STUDY AREA LOCATION: Bald Eagle Valley

I-99 INTERCHANGES: Port Matilda Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Port Matilda primary area of influence is located adjacent to the Port Matilda Interchange and impacts lands in Worth Township and Port Matilda Borough. Constraining factors in the area are steep slopes and floodplains. The restrictive buildable area will increase development pressure to extend as far into the floodplain / stream corridor as possible. The current land use is predominantly forested and agriculture.

AREA OF IMPACT: 980 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE:

• Residential – 23 acres
• Commercial – 0.3 acres
• Industrial – 0 acres

• Additional Residential – 250 units
• Additional Commercial – 1.7 million sq.ft.of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 510 thousand sq.ft. of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 200 to 230 acres
• 520 to 600 units
• Types of Housing Expected: Single-family detached/attached & semi-detached units
• Additional Commercial
• 25 to 29 acres of land area
• 210 to 250 thousand sq. ft. retail space
• 70 to 80 thousand sq. ft. office space
• Types of Uses Expected: Neighborhood convenience, strip center, standalone commercial pad sites,hotel/motel, stand alone highway service station, general occupancy service office
• Additional Industrial
• 6 to 7 acres of land area
• 60 to 70 thousand sq. ft. industrial space
• Types of Uses Expected: Warehousing / Distribution, Industrial Manufacturing

2020 CORRIDOR PROBLEMS DUE TO LACK OF ACCESS MANAGEMENT:

• Corridors between US 322 high-speed roads where diamond interchange is located

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 280 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 0 acres
• Existing Forest Use – 640 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see detailed discussion on back)
• Laurel Run and Oliver Run – Sensitve Stream

• Oliver Run Forest

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 19.1 acres
• Future Impervious Coverage – acres by development type
• Residential – 60 to 69 acres

• Commercial – 26 to 31acres

• Industrial – 5.8 to 6.5 acres

• Public Water Service – Port Matilda Borough Water Works

• Public Wastewater Service – Port Matilda Borough Authority Sewer System

• Fire Departments – Port Matilda
• EMS Departments – Port Matilda
• Police Departments – State Police
• Existing Recreation Land - 0 acres
• School District – Bald Eagle School District
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 0.8acres

Landscape Fragmentation: The wide stream valley of Laurel Run and Oliver Run will be significantly impacted by the I-99 highway alignment and projected areas of development.

Oliver Run Forest: A Natural Heritage Inventory Site, rated as moderately significant, will have increased human accessibility as a result of new development.

Visual Impacts: As an undeveloped landscape is transformed by new growth, the scenic rural character of the area will be diminished.

Public Utilities: The Port Matilda Borough Authority Sewer System is approaching capacity. Any significant growth around this area may require that the wastewater facilities be expanded to accommodate the additional growth. The estimated water demand for the current Port Matilda Borough Water Works customers is approximately 60,000 gpd. With a reported source yield of 150,000 gpd there appears to be sufficient capacity to accommodate some growth. However, it has been reported that the three well supplies are affected during drought conditions, and significant growth could affect the water supply.

CENTRE REGION PRIMARY AREA OF INFLUENCE

AREA OF INFLUENCE LOCATION: Centre Region plus portions of Benner Township

I-99 INTERCHANGES: Scotia Road, Valley Vista, Waddle Road, Park Avenue, and Research Park Interchanges

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Centre Region area of influence represents the expansion of the region’s urbanized area in State College Borough and Halfmoon, Ferguson, Patton, College and Benner townships. Features other than the I-99 corridor are influencing the expansion of this area: Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State University Airport, and the Toftrees Resort and Planned Community. The majority of the area is within the Centre Region growth boundary.

AREA OF IMPACT: 14,700 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE:

• Residential – 1,160 acres
• Commercial – 250 acres
• Industrial – 50 acres

• Additional Residential – 13,745 units
• Additional Commercial – 13,540,000 sq.ft. of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 6,170,000 sq.ft. of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 3,330 to 3,900 acres
• 8,600 to 10,000 units
• Types of Housing Expected: All types and styles of housing
• Additional Commercial
• 334 to 389 acres land
• 2.3 to 2.7 million sq. ft. retail space
• 730 to 850 thousand sq. ft. office space
• Types of Uses Expected: Neighborhood convenience, strip center, stand alone commercial pad sites, community shopping center, hotel/motel, professional space, general occupancy service, corporate campus, mixed use structures
• Additional Industrial
• 102 to 119 acres land
• 760 to 880 thousand sq. ft. industrial space
• Types of Uses Expected: Research and development, flex space

2020 CORRIDOR PROBLEMS DUE TO LACK OF ACCESS MANAGEMENT:

• Scotia Road
• Waddle Road
• Loop Roads
• North Atherton Road
• Park Avenue

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 5,320 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 4,150 acres
• Existing Forest Use – 5,420 acres

• Threatened Natural Resources (see

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 1,817 acres
• Future Impervious Coverage
• Residential - 999 to 1,170 acres
• Commercial – 284 to 331 acres
• Industrial – 73 to 86 acres

• Public Water Service – Benner Township Water Authority, Ferguson Township Water Authority, State College Borough Water Authority

• Public Wastewater Service

• Collection systems - State College Borough, Patton/Ferguson Joint Authority
• Treatment facility – University Area Joint Authority

• Fire Departments – Alpha
• EMS Departments – Alpha
• Police Departments – Patton, Ferguson, State College

• Existing Recreation Land - 600 acres
• School District – State College
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 240 acres

The Scotia Barrens: This site is considered one of the highest priority sites in the Centre County Natural Heritage Inventory. The Barrens is a scrub oak-pitch pine community with a unique microclimate of frost pockets and sandy soils, which promote droughty conditions and has produced a globally unique plant community. The Scotia Barrens will be threatened by several factors related to I-99 including:

• Habitat Encroachment: The I-99 corridor and associated development will encroach on the northern boundary of the barrens. The habitat requirements of many of the plant and animal species of this community is not known, so there is concern that any development encroachment could have significant impacts to maintaining viable populations.

• Limiting Management Options: The drought conditions of the site due to well drained sandy soils (Gatesburg Soils) has produced a plant community that has evolved with, and is dependent on, fire. Encroachment of suburban developments into the Scotia Barrens will limit land management options, such as fire, from being used to properly manage this land area. Current management of the Barrens tends to rely on mowing instead of fire. The elimination of fire as a management tool has increased the threat of invasive species such as honeysuckle, which is not fire tolerant, from establishing in the plant community.

• Fragmentation: The Scotia Barrens is also under threat from becoming isolated. The projected development to the north and east will separate the Barrens from a historic greenway connection to Waddle and the lower Buffalo Run stream corridor.

• Visual Impacts: Impacts from fragmentation of the Scotia Barrens will not just be limited to plant and animal habitat loss, but the encroachment of development will also reduce the aesthetic qualities of this unique area.

• Groundwater Recharge: The Scotia Barrens functions as an important aquifer recharge area. Development of the Barrens may have impacts to water quality and quantity.

Millbrook Marsh: This calcareous marsh is one of the significant communities found in the study area and a top preservation priority for local conservation organizations. Projected growth is expected to further impact the marsh, which has already been significantly isolated and fragmented by highways and development. Threats to Millbrook Marsh include: threats of accidental spills, further fragmentation and silt, sediment and urban runoff contamination from adjacent roads and development. Stream degradation, or the lowering of the stream channel of Slab Cabin Run and Thompson Run, may also negatively impact the marsh. The lowering of adjacent stream channels, coupled with increased usage drawing down local water tables, may cause reduced water flow to the marsh.

Waddle: This highly significant calcareous outcrop site is expected to be nearly surrounded by new development. The site is home to a unique plant that is already significantly impacted by landscape fragmentation. The expected level of new development will further fragment the site and increase direct human usage impacts.

Waddle Swamp and Wetlands of Buffalo Run: Many of the wetlands of the study area have been lost to farming and development or degraded by fragmentation or invasion by exotic plant species. Direct impacts would include filling and fragmentation of these wetlands. Indirect impacts could include the modification of local hydrologic function that could degrade these wetlands.

Scenic Rural Landscape: The scenic value of the Buffalo Run stream corridor, traditionally consisted of a mix of woodland, farms and rolling fields and meadows, will be greatly impacted by new development.

Big Hollow: Big Hollow is a dry ravine that currently provides an important natural corridor linkage to the Spring Creek stream corridor. This area, which links Spring Creek with Penn State and State College, is a strategic site in the development of the regional greenway and bikeway. The southeastern portion of Big Hollow area will be fragmented with the construction of I-99. Growth pressure from the future expansion of research park and roadway access to the University Park Airport, will have a significant impact on Big Hollow, limiting the area’s value as a recreational greenway link and important wildlife habitat corridor. The impacts of a project like the I-99 highway to wildlife habitat corridors should be mitigated to the fullest extent possible in areas where bridges will allow wildlife passable under the highway. One such strategic bridge site of the I-99 corridor occurs within the Big Hollow area as the highway crosses Big Hollow.

Public Wastewater Facilities: It is anticipated that wastewater generated from growth in the majority of the designated areas would be collected and treated by the University Area Joint Authority system. The treatment plant was recently upgraded and the preliminary design is underway to increase the plant capacity from 6 to 9 mgd. Current flows are estimated to be approximately 5 mgd. The authority is in the process of modeling the collection system in order to identify any "bottlenecks" in the pipelines, which convey wastewater to the treatment facilities. The Spring, Benner, Walker Joint Authority serves the area in Benner Township. No service currently has been extended to the University Park Airport. Both authorities have indicated interest in serving this area. The Spring, Benner, Walker Joint Authority have had preliminary discussions to either expand the existing facility or the possibility of adding a facility to serve this area.

Public Water Facilities: It is anticipated the water supplier would be the State College Borough Water Authority. At this time there is excess capacity in this system. The current average demand is approximately 5 mgd, with a supply capacity of 8.5 mgd. A newly formed Authority in Benner Township intends to construct a water line to supply a portion of Benner Township with public water, thus utilizing some of the excess capacity. Areas sensitive to urbanization were delineated as part of the Act 167 stormwater management plan for Spring Creek Watershed. They are defined as those areas that if developed, have the potential to cause catastrophic loss to a water system well field. The delineation is based on the one-year wellhead zone of contribution and direct upslope areas tributary to the wells. Portions of the Big Hollow well field lie within the I-99 Centre Region Area of Influence.

AREA OF INFLUENCE LOCATION: South of Shiloh Interchange near the Rockview Prison

I-99 INTERCHANGES: Shiloh Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Development of the Shiloh primary area of influence is constrained by the Rockview Prison to the north. The development potential is south of the interchange in Benner and College townships.

AREA OF IMPACT: 910 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE

• Residential – 18 acres
• Commercial – 66 acres
• Industrial – 4 acres

• Additional Residential – 880 units
• Additional Commercial – 2.2 million sq.ft of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 0 thousand sq.ft.of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 250 to 290 acres
• 630 to 730 units
• Types of Housing Expected: All types and styles of housing
• Additional Commercial
• 31 to 36 acres of land
• 220 to 250 thousand sq. ft. retail space
• 70 to 80 thousand sq. ft. office space
• Types of Uses Expected: Neighborhood convenience, strip center, standalone commercial pad sites,hotel/motel, stand alone highway service station, professional space, general occupancy service office, corporate campus
• Additional Industrial – currently no industrial area zoned; however pressure for industry is expected.

• Shiloh Road between PA 150 and I-99

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 600 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 280 acres
• Existing Forest Use – 25 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see below)

• Spring Creek Canyon

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 169 acres

• Future Impervious Coverage by Development Type

• Residential – 75 to 87 acres

• Commercial – 26 to 31 acres

• Industrial – 0 acres

• Public Water Service – College Township Water Authority

• Public Wastewater Service – University Area Joint Authority

• Fire Departments – Alpha
• EMS Departments – Alpha
• Police Departments – State College, State Police
• Existing Recreation Land - 4 acres
• School District – State College School District and Bellefonte School District
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 26 acres

Public Utilities: It is anticipated that wastewater generated from growth in the designated areas would be collected and treated by the University Area Joint Authority system. The treatment plant was recently upgraded and the preliminary design is underway to increase the plant capacity from 6 to 9 mgd. Current flows are estimated to be approximately 5 mgd. The Authority is in the process of modeling the collection system in order to identify any "bottlenecks" in the pipelines which convey wastewater to the treatment facilities. The area in Benner Township is located near the College Township Water Authority (previously the Lemont Water Company). The Authority is at approximately 75% capacity. With approximately 270,000 gpd available supply, the water system may not be able to accommodate new significant water users.

AREA OF INFLUENCE LOCATION: Located north and south of Benner Pike/SR 150 Interchange between SR 144 and Spring Creek.

I-99 INTERCHANGES: Benner Pike/SR 150 Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Bellefonte West area is located in a partially developed, environmentally constrained area to the southwest of Bellefonte Borough in Benner and Spring Townships. The area encompasses the developing SR 150 corridor.

AREA OF IMPACT: 2,210 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE

• Residential – 142 acres
• Commercial – 47 acres
• Industrial – 24 acres

• Additional Residential – 4,460 units
• Additional Commercial – 390 thousand sq.ft. of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 1.5 million sq.ft. of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 410 to 470 acres
• 1040 to 1200 units
• Single-family detached
• Types of Housing Expected: Multi-family and low density residential development
• Additional Commercial
• 11 to 13 acres
• 80 to 90 thousand sq. ft. retail space
• 25 to 30 thousand sq. ft. office space
• Types of Uses Expected: Neighborhood convenience, strip center, standalone commercial pad sites,hotel/motel, stand alone highway service station, corporate campus
• Additional Industrial
• 20 to 23 acres
• 150 to 170 thousand sq.ft. industrial space
• Types of Uses Expected: Research

• PA 150 north and PA 150 south

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 1,200 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 740 acres
• Existing Forest Use – 490 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see below)

• Spring Creek Canyon
• Logan Branch

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 221acres
• Future Impervious Coverage by Development Type
• Residential – 123 to 141 acres
• Commercial – 9 to 11 acres
• Industrial – 14 to 17 acres

• Public Water Service – Bellefonte Borough Authority

• Public Wastewater Service – Bellefonte Borough Sewer System; Spring, Benner, Walker Joint Sewer Authority

• Fire Departments – Bellefonte (Logan / Undine)
• EMS Departments – Bellefonte
• Police Departments – Bellefonte, Spring Township
• Recreation Land - 14 acres
• School District – Bellefonte School District
• Publicly-owned Land – 18 acres

Public Utilities: The Bellefonte Borough Sewer System capacity is 2.4 mgd. With an average daily flow of 2.0 mgd, there is some excess capacity although not a significant amount of capacity available for new development, which generate a large amount of wastewater. Any significant growth would require an expansion of the existing wastewater facilities. The water system has available capacity for new development.

AREA OF INFLUENCE LOCATION: East of SR 144, includes a large area south and east of the Borough of Bellefonte Borough.

I-99 INTERCHANGES: Harrison Road Interchange, Bellefonte Bypass (1-99/SR 144) Interchange, SR 550 (Bellefonte) Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The area is influenced by the presence of the three interchanges. Also influential to the area is the Benner Pike / SR 150 Interchange. Bellefonte east is the second largest area of influence. Considerable development is expected in this area due to commuter travel times saving, proximity to I-80, changes in local access from I-80, and the availability of land. Affected communities include Bellefonte Borough, Spring Township, and the Village of Pleasant Gap.

AREA OF IMPACT: 5,140 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE

• Residential – 630 acres
• Commercial – 61 acres
• Industrial – 72 acres

• Additional Residential – 7,530 units
• Additional Commercial – 2.5 million sq.ft. of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 1.4 million sq.ft. of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 900 to 1,040 acres
• 2,300 to 2,700 units
• Types of Housing Expected: Single-family detached and semi-detached
• Additional Commercial
• 46 to 54 acres
• 320 to 370 thousand sq. ft. retail space
• 100 to 116 thousand sq. ft. office space
• Types of Use Expected: Strip center, standalone commercial pad site, community shopping center, hotel/motel, stand alone highway service station, professional space, general occupancy space, corporate campus
• Additional Industrial
• 22 to 26 acres
• 165 to195 thousand sq.ft. of industrial space
• Types of Uses Expected: Flex space

• Harrison Road and other two-lane roads served by Harrison Road
• SR 550 from Bellefonte east past I-99

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 2,900 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 184acres
• Existing Forest Use – 740 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see below)

• Spring Creek / Logan Branch
• Visual Quality
• Agricultural Core
• Landscape Fragmentation

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 642 acres
• Future Impervious Coverage by Development Type
• Residential ( low density development assumed) – 270 to 312 acres
• Commercial – 39 to 46 acres
• Industrial – 16 to 19 acres

• Public Water Service – Bellefonte Borough Authority, Spring Township Water Authority

• Public Wastewater Service – Bellefonte Borough Sewer System; Spring, Benner, Walker Joint Sewer Authority

• Fire Departments – Bellefonte (Logan / Undine), Pleasant Gap
• EMS Departments – Bellefonte
• Police Departments – Bellefonte, Spring Township
• Existing Recreation Land - 60 acres
• School District – Bellefonte School District
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 105 acres

Visual Quality: The rolling farmland of the central Nittany Valley has long been impacted by residential development pressure. This area has been significantly impacted by large lot residential development within the last 20 years. Increased accessibility to State College and Penn State University will expand the residential housing market in this area. As residential developments expand across the landscape, the areas scenic rural character will be lost. The development of this area will reduce the unique character of traditional towns as suburban development from Bellefonte blends with those from Pleasant Gap.

Agricultural Core: To maintain economically viable farms requires good markets for products and a sufficient population of farms to maintain support industries. The development of this area will limit the opportunity to form a significantly sized agricultural core in the upper Nittany Valley.

Landscape Fragmentation: I-99 and adjacent development will significantly fragment landscape connectivity for wildlife between Bald Eagle Ridge and Sand Ridge which separates Little Nittany Valley and Nittany Valley.

Public Utilities: The Bellefonte Borough Sewer System capacity is 2.4 mgd. With an average daily flow of 2.0 mgd, there is some excess capacity although not a significant amount of capacity available for new development that would generate large amounts of wastewater. Any significant growth would require an expansion of the existing wastewater facilities. The water system has available capacity for new development.
 
 

AREA OF INFLUENCE LOCATION: Located on US 220 north of Milesburg in Boggs Township.

I-80 INTERCHANGE: Milesburg Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The area is the second primary development area in the Bald Eagle Valley (first – Port Matilda). Boggs Township currently is completing a comprehensive plan and zoning to prepare for this development pressure. This analysis is based on the existing regulations. The area is rural in nature; however is contiguous to developed areas in Milesburg Borough and Boggs Township.

AREA OF IMPACT: 1,770 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE

• Residential – 11 acres
• Commercial – 40 acres
• Industrial – 0 acres

• Additional Residential – 817 units
• Additional Commercial – 1.1 million sq.ft.
• Additional Industrial – 30 thousand sq.ft.

• Additional Residential
• 320 to 370 acres
• 820 to 960 units
• Types of Housing Expected: Single-family detached
• Additional Commercial
• 28 to 32 acres
• 190 to 220 thousand sq. ft. retail

• 60 to 70 thousand sq. ft. office

• Types of Uses Expected: Strip center, standalone commercial pad site, stand alone highway service station

• Additional Industrial
• 4 to 5 acres
• 30 to 34 thousand sq.ft.
• Types of Uses Expected: Flex space, warehousing/ distribution, industrial manufacturing

• SR 150 – US 220 east and west of I-99

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 300 acres

• Zoned Agriculture - 147acres
• Existing Forest Use – 900 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see below)

• Visual Quality
• Bald Eagle Creek Stream Corridor
• Wildlife Habitat / Recreational Use
• Forest Fragmentation

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 182 acres
• Future Impervious Coverage by Development Type
• Residential (low density development assumed) – 96 to111 acres
• Commercial – 24 to 27 acres
• Industrial – 3 to 4 acres

• Public Water Service – Bellefonte Borough Authority

• Public Wastewater Service – Mid-Centre County Authority

• Fire Departments – Milesburg
• EMS Departments – Bellefonte
• Police Departments – State Police
• Existing Recreation Land - 0 acres
• School District – Bald Eagle School District
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 12 acres

Visual Quality: As commercial and other mixed used development occurs along this exit, the rural character of the Bald Eagle Valley will be impacted.

Wildlife Habitat and Recreational Uses: Encroachment of development has the potential to impact the wildlife habitat value of the area’s large wetlands. Development many also restrict or limit the use of the site for hunting.

Forest Fragmentation: The narrow development area, constricted by slopes and floodplain, will encourage development into the foothills causing forest fragmentation and increasing the potential for erosion.

Public Utilities: Sufficient wastewater capacity would be expected within the Mid-Centre County Authority’s facilities for moderate growth in this area. Milesburg Borough purchases bulk water from the Bellefonte Borough Authority, which has available capacity for new development.

LOCATION: Located in Marion Township. The final interchange location is to be determined.

I-80 INTERCHANGE: Marion Interchange

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The area is a rural agriculture setting. The area is populated by an Old Order Amish community, which use non-motorized transportation. The mix of trucks associated with mining and the non-motorized vehicles plus added interchange traffic will impact the ease of travel within the area. Currently, the zoning in the area includes no industrial or commercial districts; however, with the presence of I-99 the area will be under development pressure for rezoning. This analysis considers the advancement of existing zoned activity.

AREA OF IMPACT: 790 acres

DISTRIBUTION OF EXISTING LAND USE

• Residential – 25 acres
• Commercial – .2 acres
• Industrial – 0 acres

• Additional Residential – 700 units
• Additional Commercial – 0 sq.ft. of floor area
• Additional Industrial – 0 sq.ft. of floor area

• Additional Residential
• 130 to150 acres
• 340 to 390 units
• Types of Housing Expected: Single-family detached
• Additional Commercial
• 0 sq. ft. retail space

• 0 sq. ft. office space

• Types of Use Expected: If rezoned for commercial, expected land uses – strip center, hotel/motel, stand alone highway service station

• Additional Industrial
• 0 thousand sq.ft. industrial space
• Types of Uses Expected: If rezoned for industrial, expected land uses - Flex space

• None

• Threatened Existing Land Uses
• Existing Agriculture Use – 400 acres

• Zoned Agriculture – 0 acres
• Existing Forest Use – 350 acres
• Threatened Natural Resources (see below)

• Visual Quality
• Streams/Floodplains
• Forest Fragmentation

• Existing Impervious Coverage Total - 13 acres
• Future Impervious Coverage by Development Type
• Residential (low density development assumed) – 39 to 45 acres
• Commercial – 0 acres
• Industrial – 0 acres

• Public Water Service – Nittany Water Company

• Public Wastewater Service – Spring, Benner, Walker Joint Authority

• Fire Departments – Howard and Walker
• EMS Departments – Bellefonte
• Police Departments – State Police
• Existing Recreation Land - 9.4 acres
• School District – Bellefonte School District
• Existing Publicly-owned Land – 0 acres

Streams/Floodplains: This area is located at the watershed divide between two sensitive streams, Nittany Creek and Lick Run. Development will increase impervious cover in this area between 39 to 45 acres. This development may impact the water quality of these two trout streams and the intermittent channels which discharge to the streams.

Forest Fragmentation: Development will encroach and fragment the wooded corridor of Sand Ridge.

Public Utilities: The nearest wastewater facilities are the Spring, Benner, Walker facilities in Walker Township. The construction of a sewer extension would be needed in order to provide public wastewater facilities for new growth in Marion Township. It has been reported that sewers are anticipated for this area which may promote additional growth in the area. The nearest community water supply would be the Nittany Water Company. This system is operating at a 295,000 gpd demand, with a 360,000 gpd capacity.

In order to understand the role of each of the twelve I-99 interchanges and the two nearby I-80 interchanges, it is necessary to describe each interchange configuration. The I-99/I-80 Interchange Description Table describes each interchange type and classifies each as either simple, complex or very complex. Simple interchanges obviously will be easier and less costly to upgrade than complex "stretched" interchanges, which may be difficult and costly to upgrade after 2020.

Based on available traffic projections for the future and experience in similar areas, each of the 14 interchanges and related corridors were categorized into three basic groups. The Interchange/Corridor Traffic Problems Table provides comments on each interchange as it relates to conditions of the probable future.

• Group A: Interchanges/corridors, which will experience significant traffic problems in 2020.
• Group B: Interchanges/corridors, which will experience emerging traffic problems in 2020.
• Group C: Interchanges/corridors, which will not experience significant traffic problems in 2020.

Source: KELLERCO, Inc., 2001
 

INTERCHANGE/CORRIDOR TRAFFIC PROBLEMS TABLE
	COMMENTS ON THE PROBABLE FUTURE	ROADWAY CORRIDORS WITH EXPECTED PROBLEMS DUE TO LACK OF ACCESS MANAGEMENT
GROUP A: I-99 INTERCHANGES WITH SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN 2020 (# for report purpose) Scotia Road           Waddle Road     5-6. Park Avenue – Research Park     Harrison Road	This interchange serves a very large area with development potential both north and south of I-99 via a complex design and only a few at-grade intersections. The gameland area to the south reduces the land available for potential development. This standard diamond interchange will need to be upgraded and probably modified to provide additional (west) collector-distributor access to the loop roadway system. It serves a large land area which includes Toftrees and University land.  These two attached interchanges serve very large land areas north and south of I-99. Due to the unique and complex design elements of this "stretched" interchange, new development will either need to be limited; i.e. constrained, or portions of the interchange upgraded  Even though this interchange is only a half diamond, congestion will arise on two-lane Harrison Road and other two-lane roads accessed via this interchange.	Scotia Road         Waddle Road – Loop Road – North Atherton Street     Park Avenue             Harrison Road and other two-lane roads served by Harrison Road
GROUP B: I-99 INTERCHANGES WITH EMERGING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN 2020 Valley Vista Road Shiloh Road            Benner Pike -- PA 150                     Bellefonte     Milesburg (I-80)	At-grade traffic operational problems could arise at the two intersections adjacent to the I-99 ramps. While the Shiloh Road interchange may adequately serve peak hour traffic, the Shiloh Road corridor will probably be congested due to the lack of access management and more new development than anticipated to the south.  While the interchange may be sufficient, the PA 150 corridor north will be congested due to the lack of access management. Also the sale of any land adjacent to this interchange will create more traffic problems than anticipated, provoking interchange upgrading and unexpected congestion.     INTERCHANGE/CORRIDOR TRAFFIC PROBLEMS TABLE CONTINUED Located between two freeway to freeway interchanges and access from the west constrained via a congested PA 150 corridor, this interchange will need to be expanded to serve diverted and new development traffic. With shorter travel times between State College and this interchange, the current interchange will need to be upgraded to serve increasing development along with the US 220/PA 150 corridor.	North Atherton Street, connection to I-99 ramps     Shiloh Road between PA 150and I-99         PA 150 north and PA 150 south if prison or other land is sold for development                     PA 550 from Bellefonte east past I-99         PA 150 – US 220 east and west of I-99
GROUP C: I-99 INTERCHANGES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN 2020 Port Matilda I-99/PA 26 I-99/I-80 14. Marion Township (I-80)	Very small zone of influence limits new development at the local diamond interchange.     No upgrades needed unless PA 144 extends to I-99  No upgrades needed unless PA 144 extends to I-99  No upgrades required unless new development occurs in the large zone of influence.	Need to access manage corridors between US 322 high-speed roads where diamond interchange is located N/A N/A Development of the large land area to the south or along PA 26 needs to be carefully planned to reduce interchange impact

Source: KELLERCO, Inc., 2001

Based on this review, the Consultant Team considers the overlay zone ordinances to be one of several techniques for dealing with future interchange area planning issues. While three study area townships (Patton, Spring and Benner), have adopted the interchange overlay zone ordinance, interchange issues still need to be very carefully reevaluated.

Conceptual Standards

This technique as developed by the Overlay Zone Committee establishes important "conceptual" standards for two distinct areas: Interchange Zone of Influence (I), which encompasses a one-mile radius and a Corridor Zone of Influence (C), which includes a ¼ mile width on the sides of each corridor

Within each area, standards were developed for the following elements.

• Highway access and safety (I) + (C)
• Setbacks and landscaping (I) + (C)
• Building and site design (C)
• Signs and lighting (I)
• Environmentally sensitive areas (I)

• Guidelines for direct access on interchange corridors.

• 300' minimum between interchange ramps and nearest intersection

• 800' between adjacent intersection

• Traffic Impact Studies (TIS) required by developers for the following proposed industrial and non-industrial developed areas accessed via an interchange corridor.

• If non-industrial use is in excess of 25,000 GSF or operates 100 or more trips during the road’s peak travel period per day
• If residential use generates 100 or more trips during the roads peak travel period per day

• Public transit, bicycle, and parking standards

The overlay zone concept is widely used in the US. As previously stated and endorsed by the project team, the overlay has significant limitations in its ability to achieve long-term objectives. These limitation include:

• Providing a few guidelines regarding intersection spacing is subject to "incremental" site plan submission reviews and political negotiations. This usually allows significant guideline variations, which can create serious access/safety problems.

• The use of "raised" medians versus "flush"; i.e. left-turns-allowed medians can make a significant difference on corridor operations and site development opportunities. The guidelines do not mention median treatments.

• The need for sites to have interparcel access is not mentioned, yet this criteria is important with raised median corridors for long-term peak hour efficiency and safety.

• Traffic impact study requirements do not apply to all proposed developments and are silent on the design year, which is usually +5 to 10 years and is a function of the site buildout year.

• Peak hour intersection level of service C or better is desired for "new" intersections but if an existing intersection is LOS D, then LOS D is acceptable. Such general criteria sound good but over a long period of time LOS D or even E often occur due to the impact of long-term "through traffic" and the inability to acquire additional right of way.

• The process of submitting and reviewing site TIS reports incrementally over a long period of time will not result in the most effective or desirable interchange area access plan or desired LOS. To react to each site plan and its traffic impact on an individual basis with mitigation to achieve LOS C (or D) simply results in future congestion where additional right of way is usually needed to upgrade peak hour operations. This is a "reactive" review process because no adopted long-range access plan is guiding the local decision making process.

• Municipal TIS and mitigation decisions are probably made independent of adjacent municipalities even though the interchange area could include one or more municipalities. In effect, significant interchange development in one municipality could be approved independent of an adjacent municipality even though they share the same interchange area of influence; i.e. one mile radius.

• The traffic impact of possible (and likely) changes in various interchange land uses over a 20- to 40-year period are not really addressed because possible changes in land use are not considered.

• A more effective means of insuring the development of future interchange areas, which meet local desired objectives, is to take a more "proactive" rather than a "reactive" approach. This approach involves the development of a conceptual long-range land use and transportation plan for each interchange area and its associated corridors.

• Such plans could be incorporated into both municipal and county comprehensive plans with differences between municipalities resolved in the planning process. This type of planning process goes beyond the usual 20-year period and introduces much more detailed sub-area roadway systems, including interparcel access, buildout right of way, and median requirements on key corridors and roads. Once these plans are developed and adopted as part of municipal, multi-municipal, and county comprehensive plans, traffic impact fees could be developed based on buildout infrastructure needs.