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Updated 2 hours ago

After nearly 18 months of wrangling about the benefits and potential missteps of requiring developers to install sidewalks as part of their projects, Ross officials have introduced a measure they hope will make it easier for pedestrians in the township.

The new ordinance, which was sent to Allegheny County last week for a 45-day legal review, will require sidewalks in commercial developments. Also, sidewalks must be added to redevelopments occupying 5,000 square feet or more or adding 25 parking spaces.

The ordinance also applies to new residential developments of five or more homes.

When the original measure was proposed, many businesses said the requirements might be too onerous. But the revised ordinance has erased much of the worry, said Craig Linner, president of the Ross Businesses and Economic Development group.

“Nothing is going to please everybody, but I think the township got it right by narrowing the ordinance's requirements to make sure that what developers are being asked to do is reasonable,” he said.

Linner noted that members of the business community understand the benefits of the township's long-range strategies for economic sustainability.

“The (township's) strategic plan ... determined that in order for Ross to be a desirable community in the future, there is a need to make it more accessible for pedestrians,” Linner said.

If approved by the county and township commissioners, the ordinance will require sidewalks in new and redeveloped projects to connect to existing sidewalks on adjacent properties. Sidewalks also will be required within developments to provide pedestrian access to centralized mailboxes as well as recreation and common areas.

The proposed law also will allow developers to seek a waiver and pay a fee in lieu of constructing sidewalks if certain criteria exists.

Conditions that warrant a waiver include:

• Projects along state or county roads in which the agencies determine a sidewalk is not permitted.

• Sidewalks that are scheduled to be installed as part of municipal projects that already have been funded.

• Where installation of sidewalks is not feasible because of topography or hazardous conditions.

The in-lieu fee will be based on the estimated cost to install the sidewalk. Applicants will be required to determine that cost, subject to township approval.

Money collected from waiver fees will be kept in an account for use for “sidewalks, trails, pedestrian access, recreational facilities and other related municipal purposes,” according to the ordinance.

Commission President Jeremy Shaffer said while the township “can't necessarily change what was done in the past, it can try to address the needs of the future.”

“The idea is to simply put some common sense rules in place to make sure that sidewalks go into major new retail and housing developments,” he said. “Over the past year and a half we've received feedback from many, many stakeholders and I think we ended up with something that gets us where we want to be while at the same time not placing an undo burden on individual homeowners and developers.”

Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.

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