CRANBERRY TWP — If you are not growing, you are dying.

That was the central theme during the Thursday, Feb. 15, “Coffee and Conversation” meeting held at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center. Hosted by township manager Dan Santoro, the community open discussion centered around three aspects: the impact of growth, the loss of green space and the effects of population on traffic and issues around land uses.

“There’s mixed feelings about growth,” Santoro said. “Some folks think once their house is here and once they moved in they should pull up the drawbridge and they should be the last residents in the township.”

Aided by a PowerPoint presentation, Santoro addressed the township’s plan to make the township a “sustainable community for the long term.”

“ … We’re not trying to make decisions for today and tomorrow or the next three years,” Santoro said. “We are making decisions for the next 20 or 30 years.”

Santoro said the township supervisors’ policies are aimed at trying to maintain a high quality of life by making sure the community remains “economically, socially and environmentally sustainable for the future for the long term.”

According to the United States Census Bureau, for the past 20 years, the population growth in Cranberry Township has risen 1.7% per year, which equates to 473 new residents per year.

“I understand in the context within the region we live, why people feel that Cranberry is growing rapidly,” Santoro said. “And the reason for that is we live in a region that isn’t growing, and candidly is declining. So any growth seems like rapid growth.”

The current population of Cranberry Township, according to the latest census information, is 33,096. Santoro said he believes the population increase will slow in the coming decades.

“There are a number of reasons,” Santoro said. “As we are seeing more developments happening to the north, east and south of us than ever before.”

Santoro cited the populated growth in Jackson, Lancaster, Adams and Middlesex townships.

The township has also put in “aggressive regulation” to protect green space and open space, said Santoro.

“(The township) owns over 800 acres, and there are over 2,000 acres of permanently protected open spaces.” Santoro said. “We put that regulatory process in place 30 years ago to help preserve open space.”

According to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Regional Data Center, traffic volume at Cranberry’s busiest intersection is around 72,000 a day, and 50% of those vehicles are from primary residents.

Santoro said the township is trying to make the transportation infrastructure as efficient as possible.

“We have a traffic division that is second to none,” Santoro said. “We manage 53 traffic signals, plus an additional 11 in neighboring municipalities.”

Santoro said the township is planning to use technology such as intelligent traffic systems and partnership with local universities to lesson the burden on travelers.

One trend the township is looking to address is the percentage of people over the age of 45 living in the community.

According to the 2020 census data, 43% of the Cranberry population is over the age of 45, an 8% increase from the past decade.

“This folks, is not a good trend from a community perspective,” Santoro said. “Our goal has always been to keep our age average low.”

Allowing diverse housing, such as multifamily housing, will keep younger people living in the community, said Santoro.