Warriors Mark is definitely growing.
Twelve years ago, a little more than 1,300 residents lived, prayed and farmed in the Huntingdon County township. But as the years progressed, more and more people started coming in to establish peaceful homes and families.
Now, with the population boiling over 1,600, township planners and supervisors are keeping their eyes on what is happening around them and preparing for the future.
“Due to its proximity to State College, Warriors Mark township has some very high development pressure,” said township supervisor William Hoover. “As State College continues to grow, we’re seeing more and more people wanting to come into and live in our township. We want the people of our community to let us know how they feel about that and their opinions on how to protect our valuable resources here.”
The supervisors and the township’s planning commission have taken steps to do just that with a series of “Community Visioning Meetings.” The meetings will be held Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 4 and Dec. 4, each beginning at 6:30 p.m., at the Warriors Mark-Franklin Volunteer Fire Hall.
“We really want to know what the public thinks about this,” said Hoover. “We have some of the better, if not the best, agricultural ground in Huntingdon County right here in our township. We want to look at some things we’re doing here and make sure everyone is protected.”
According to Hoover, the series of meetings is designed to get input from the residents of the community. He said the public’s comments and ideas will be taken into consideration before any changes are made.
The changes he was talking about included adjustments to the township’s subdivision ordinance and the possibility of implementing a zoning ordinance for the township.
“Who knows where we’ll be at the end of these meetings,” said Hoover. “The end result will probably be that we make changes to the subdivision ordinance or add zoning, or both.
“Whether we like it or not, commercial agriculture and residential development don’t mix well,” said Hoover.
“You can’t say there will be no more development in Warriors Mar, but we want to make sure that any development here happens in an orderly manner.”
He said the township has hired a planning consultant to work closely with the planning commission to gather this important residential input and summarize their desires as to how the township should proceed with the issue.
“They know what needs to be done, what should be done legally and how it should be done to get the most and best possible information from the residents,” said Hoover.
Although there is residential development pressure, Hoover said he hasn’t heard of any industrial development plans for the township.
“But that doesn’t mean there is something going on that we don’t know about,” he said. “If you are a resident of the township, you either moved into the township because you like the area or you are a long-time resident and you have stayed here because you like what Warriors Mark Township has to offer.
“If you want to have Warriors Mark continue to be the type of place you want to live in, you should make you voice be heard as to how the future development should occur and how it will take place,” he continued. “To help Warriors Mark stay the type of place you want to live in and raise a family, you should really consider attending these meetings and speaking ups. It’s definitely in our best interest as a community.”
