TyronePA e-cafe - Tyrone Pennsylvania Community Forum

Blain wrote:The residents of the township have to suffer this "victory" over the evils of zoning, since the supervisors have decided to remove all reference to zoning from the comprehensive plan.

The reason Snyder Township looks the way it looks (like crap) is because there is no zoning!.

So, zoning determines how a municipality looks? I see lots of areas in Logan Twp, Altoona, Tyrone, all zoned communities, that look awlful. How do you explain that?
Hey, all of you anti-zoning folks, tell you what - pay your freakin' taxes, then maybe we'll give you a say in whether we have any zoning. And now, when somebody opens up a methedone clinic next to your house,

Last I heard, the methadone clinic was going in Logan Twp, a zoned municipality. Furthermore, state law prohibits placing a methadone clinic within 500 or 1000 feet of a residential area, so no one is going to put one in next to your house.
or a junk yard like those that grace 220 between Bald Eagle and Port Matilda, or an adult book store, or a machine shop that's using pneumatic grinding tools until 8:00pm each evening, don't complain about it, because guess what - there's no zoning!

The fact is that zoning prevents none of these uses, and, in fact, any zoning ordinance must provide a zone for these and all other disagreeable uses in the municipality. Maybe you'd like to explain how zoning benefitted the residents of Park Ave in Lakemont who had their quiet neighborhood turned into a stadium complex.

And to those who thought that "zoning" was going to restrict swimming pools, or tell you where you could put your clothesline, or whether you could put up a basketball hoop or park a camper in your driveway - wake up and get a clue! This isn't Gray's Woods or Stonehedge. Zoning doesn't equal covenants or homeowner's association rules. And nobody is going to tell you where you can or can't put your double-wide, either. Hey, half of Snyder Township IS double-wides, so why stop now?

If you dislike Snyder Twp so much, why did you move back here? There are plenty of zoned communities in the area to choose from.
Me? I'm going to put in a chicken farm and chicken rendering plant right next to the house. The smell should be wonderful, and I'm sure the noise won't be any louder than the no-tax-paying, non-licensed scrap yard that's just down the street. That township code enforcement guy, he's right on the ball, isn't he?
Well, that would be a positive contribution to the tax base, as opposed to zoning, which would impose huge administrative and professional expenses on the taxpayers of the twp.

legislatewh0re wrote:Antis Township is the same. The Supervisor's there didn't even have the balls to approve a study on zoning because a handful of people bullied them into abandoning it.
The so-called "study" was in fact a plan for implementing a zoning ordinance. There was no attempt to objectively evaluate the relative merits of zoning vs no zoning. The residents of Antis Twp were not fooled by the term "study".
It amazing how short sighted people can be. Maybe someday we'll get some elected officials who have a clue and some backbone.
So when should we expect to see your name on the ballot?

legislatewh0re wrote:"I see lots of areas in Logan Twp, Altoona, Tyrone, all zoned communities, that look awlful. How do you explain that?"
I'll take a stab at that one - you have family members that reside in those communities?
It doesn't matter where my family or your family lives, the point is that zoning does not ensure an esthetically pleasing community.
"any zoning ordinance must provide a zone for these and all other disagreeable uses in the municipality".
...and your opposed to that??? God forbid we segregate commercial enterprises from residential areas! I guess the landscape all looks the same to you since you have your head wedged so far up your *ss.
I have no problem with separating commercial from residential areas. I DO have a problem with the government taking away private property rights without just compensation. That is one of the rights enumerated in article five of the U.S. Constitution. If you don't like the way someone uses their property, the proper solution in this country is to buy the property, then you may do with it as you please.
"Maybe you'd like to explain how zoning benefitted the residents of Park Ave in Lakemont"
I don't know the particulars about what happened in Lakemont - but at least if your area is being rezoned you have an opportunity to oppose it. If there's no zoning you're SOL.
Actually, if an area is being rezoned the party that is able to buy the best attroneys and most political influence usually prevails, as was the case in Lakemont. I would rather allow free markets to determine the value of real estate, rather than a bunch of lawyers and politicians.

"which would impose huge administrative and professional expenses on the taxpayers of the twp."
You feel like throwing out some actual numbers?
OK. Zoning Officer - $50,000 per year Salary, Benefits and Expenses. Legal Fees - 500 hours at $150/hr, total $75,000 per year. Civil Engineering Fees - 250 hours at $100 per hour, total $25,000 per year. Administrative Support - $25,000 per year Salary and Benefits.
Grand Total - $175,000 per year. I'm guessing 1 mil of R/E tax produces about $20,000 per year in revenue, so add about 9 mils to your Township Taxes.
"The so-called "study" was in fact a plan for implementing a zoning ordinance. There was no attempt to objectively evaluate the relative merits of zoning vs no zoning. The residents of Antis Twp were not fooled by the term "study"."
Again, you want to substantiate that? I don't think our Supervisors have enough collective brainpower to come up with an intricate ruse to foist zoning upon our unsuspecting community. They're lucky if they can find their assigned seats at the monthly meetings. While you're at it, maybe you could clear up some other urban legends for us. I think we'd all really like to know if Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or as part of a CIA conspiracy.
It's all public record. Feel free to do the research on your own. I don't need to since I was there. We were told we needed to be "educated". We were told that zoning would be good for us. We were told many things, but all the so-called experts that were retained by the BOS at taxpayer expense were advocates for zoning and were preparing an implementation plan. There was no expert representation supporting the opposing view, even though such expertise exists in abundance. I don't know how a BOS can claim they are conducting a "study" when all the activities are in support of zoning and there is no attempt to learn about the opposing view.
"So when should we expect to see your name on the ballot?"
When the salary justifies all the time spent dealing with morons like you.
I've always been of the opinion that if you think you can do a better job, go for it. Otherwise you've got no justification for complaining.

I have tried to respond to your comments in a dignified manner, even though your repsonse was filled with hateful, rude, juvenile retorts. Just so you know, I won't continue this debate if you insist upon continuing with the disparaging remarks. Not because they bother me (actually they are somewhat amusing, in a Jr High sort of way), but because they indicate that you haven't the intellectual capacity or maturity to engage in a rational debate in an adult fashion. My time is more valuable than that.