Latest news with #Kopko
Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Proposed housing on former golf course called too dense
Owners of the Brassie Golf Club who want to turn the course into a housing subdivision were told by three members of Chesterton's Advisory Plan Commission that their proposal for 600 units on 200 acres is too high in density. PMM Chesterton, which does business as Diamond Peak Homes, was making their official concept review proposal before the seven-member Advisory Plan Commission Thursday night. There were about 25 people in attendance, but only the plan commission members could speak. While it was the first official appearance, PMM Chesterton has been publicizing their intentions for what they called 'The Brassie Plan' for months. PMM Chesterton met with town economic development officials and also made one prior unofficial appearance before the Advisory Plan Commission. They also held two community forum meetings at Chesterton High School. The next steps before the Advisory Plan Commission — if PMM Chesterton proceeds — would be a preliminary hearing, a public hearing and then a vote by the commission. The Town Council would have the final vote. As a result of interaction with town officials and the community, Michael Herbers, the managing partner for PMM Chesterton, said they did adjust the housing units downward to 600 from 632. The development would have a variety of home styles with 83 single-family homes on 75-foot-wide lots and 127 single-family homes on 50-foot-wide lots. There would be 196 paired villas — or duplexes — and 194 townhomes. When asked, Herbers estimated that the low-end pricing for the townhomes in the development would cost between $250,000 to $300,000. Herbers said that it is important to have housing available for the area's workforce, like teachers and police officers. Plan Commission member James Kowalski was the most blunt in his assessment, saying they were trying to put '10 pounds of potatoes in a five-pound bag.' He said a lot of people weren't happy with the plan and some labeled the developer's meetings with the community at Chesterton High School a 'dog and pony show.' He also was critical of what he saw as a lack of concrete information and added 'I don't see anything here that I see as really sincere.' Kowalski noted that in some places, the housing was so dense there was only 10 feet between the houses. He said that would mean that a person would open their window and end up watching a neighbor take a shower, which he described with the profanity for bull waste. 'This just ain't gonna fly with me, I'll tell you right now,' Kowalski said. Plan Commission member Thomas Kopko noted that he was opposed in November 2022, when Lennar Homes proposed building almost 400 houses on the property. 'This would be 50% more which would be 50% worse,' Kopko said. Kopko said he wouldn't be for such density 'in this lifetime or the next.' 'Come back with 300 (houses) and you might get my interest,' Kopko said. David Uran of Game Plan Solutions, who is assisting PMM Chesterton, said that having only 300 single-family homes would drive pricing of the homes 'way up.' He said with the market today, there is a need for housing for first-time home buyers and seniors. Councilwoman Sharon Darnell, D-4th, who is also a plan commission member, said she was concerned how the density of housing for the Brassie Club property would affect drainage because it is 'the wettest section of town.' The water table is only 4 to 8 feet from the surface in some areas. Darnell said there is no way the houses could have basements. Darnell said she lives in the area and knows there were houses built with basements and now the owners have to deal with flooding. 'I am not going to go through that again,' Darnell said. She noted that the developer is at some disadvantage because prior builders 'were not good stewards.' Building 600 homes would also overload the roads in that area, Darnell said. Herbers said that a traffic impact study would be performed for that area. However, Darnell noted that the town must now deal with the funding implications of Senate Bill 1 and the new property tax revenue generated by the housing wouldn't be enough to cover the costs of providing town services. Herbers and Uran said they would consider the input they received from the commission members, along with the town's Engineering Department. Uran emphasized that they want to build a quality development for the community. After the presentation of the Brassie Plan, Councilwoman Jennifer Fisher, R-5th, told the Post-Tribune she was disappointed by the conduct of some of the commission members which she thought was 'unprofessional.' 'It is really inappropriate for an advisory plan commission (member) to be yelling and cussing when talking to people,' Fisher said. She said she also was disappointed that the developer was talked down to and interrupted when they tried to answer. Fisher said that some town council members had asked the developer to have a diversity of housing, yet one advisory plan commission member wanted only single-family housing. At a February council meeting, Fisher raised concerns about the town's reputation with developers and how the advisory plan commission members had treated them. She said with the town's new economic development team, there was a need to improve the town's approach.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset County faces population decline, raising concerns for industry and growth
SOMERSET, Pa. (WTAJ) — As rural counties across Pennsylvania face declining populations, concerns are mounting about the future of industries in Somerset County. According to our media partners at The Tribune-Democrat, Kyle Kopko, executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, shared projections at the Eggs & Issues State of the County event, highlighting that Pennsylvania has the third-largest rural population in the U.S., with 48 rural counties. However, many of these areas, including Somerset County, are seeing significant population declines that could impact economic growth and workforce availability. Rural counties, defined as having fewer than 291 people per square mile, collectively house 3.4 million Pennsylvanians—more than the populations of 21 states and Washington, D.C. But projections indicate continued population loss, which Kopko described as a major challenge for sustaining industries and businesses in the region. The event, held at Oakhurst Grille & Event Center, was attended by Somerset County Chamber of Commerce members and county commissioners. Despite the concerning statistics, Kopko expressed some optimism, suggesting that strategic efforts could help address the issue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State of Somerset County: Demographics 'No. 1 issue'
SOMERSET, Pa. – Pennsylvania, with 48 rural counties, has the third largest rural population in the United States, Kyle Kopko, executive director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, said Wednesday. Rural counties are defined as those with a population density less than 291 people per square mile. Pennsylvania's rural counties' combined have a population of 3.4 million people, which is larger than the populations of 21 states and Washington, D.C, he said. But those counties are forecast to continue declining in population to a point that would seem dire for industry in the future, Kopko said. Kopko presented some bleak statistics and projections, though with some optimism, during Eggs & Issues State of the County event at Oakhurst Grille & Event Center. The event was attended by members of the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce and Somerset County commissioners. From 2010 to 2020 Somerset has seen a 4.6% population decline. A Penn State study based on birth rates, death rates and migration patterns forecasts an 11% population decline from 2020 to 2050, but Somerset County is hardly alone. West Virginia is expected to see a 16.5% population decrease. Ohio and parts of New York are also expected to have population declines, Kopko's report showed. Russell Mills, senior regional officer of the Pittsburgh Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, also presented during the State of the County event in Somerset. The Federal Reserve Bank maintains data on rural economies. Mills said Somerset County has a 62% workforce participation rate, still slightly smaller than pre-pandemic levels. And Somerset continues to see population loss, limiting labor force gains. 'Natural change is the biggest impediment to growth,' he said. The population loss is due to the fading of the largest segment of the population, the baby boomers and lower birthrates among younger generations. Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said demographics are the most pressing concern for the county. 'Demographics are the county's No. 1 issue,' she said. 'We need to make policies locally and statewide in response to these numbers.' Kopko said the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan, volunteer-led think tank established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, is working on turning the tide on population loss. The center has a Rural Population Revitalization Commission composed of volunteers including elected state officials representing rural districts. State Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, and state Rep. Michael Stender, R-Northumberland, are members of the commission. The group has the ability to propose legislation and is working to 'rural proof' policy, Kopko said. 'We are asking Harrisburg, 'Before you implement policies, how will things play out in rural counties?'' he said. 'In Harrisburg, we don't necessarily think about how policy will affect areas with fewer people and even different topography.' Kopko said the center has recently asked all departments under the governor and all row offices in the state including the office of the attorney general, auditor general and treasurer, to conduct self-assessments of how they serve rural counties. Those reports will be made public, he said. 'Some of this data seems dire, but I believe there are reasons to be hopeful,' he said. 'I'm optimistic because the region has 18- to 24-year-olds because we have colleges and universities. We are a net importer of college students.' He said there are scholarships through the Grow PA Scholarship fund to incentivize those students to live and work in the area after graduation. Attracting international migration is also key component to the future of the Commonwealth and the county's population, Kopko said. Pennsylvania saw 200,000 new international residents since 2020, a few hundred of them coming to Somerset County, he said. He said they are likely a mix of students, and documented and undocumented immigrants. 'But 41 states grew immigrant populations faster than us since 2020 – we are losing,' he said. 'We need to do more. We don't stack up well with other states for immigration.' Alec Bittner, manager of Laurel Mountain Coin and Jewelry, asked Kopko how to address pushback on immigration from the community. Kopko said having a conversation with the public about the data is a good start. 'Visa holders tend to come from rural towns in their countries,' he said. 'They feel more at home in rural communities. Here's an opportunity to bring in people who may have shared values, people who are not looking to change the community's character. Immigration has to be done in a thoughtful way, and hopefully folks will go along with it. 'But you can't just think of raw numbers. They have to think of how it plays in the context of the community.' In terms of population composition, the workforce has increased slightly despite the raw numbers of population loss. As a result, the Southern Alleghenies Gross Domestic Product is going up. However, with the the county's high population of baby boomers, the writing is on the wall. 'If we are not stabilizing the population with younger people, we won't have a workforce,' he said.
