Zoning & Subdivision Review Committee

Meeting Minutes

Tuesday – May 16, 2000 – 7:30 p.m. – MCRPC Offices

Members Present	Others Present
Samuel L. Scott, Chairman	Lisa Holm, Planner
James Rollinson, Vice-Chairman	Denny Puko, Executive Director
Clifford McCandless	Troy Adzima, Developer - Creekside
Fred Brenner	Don Welker, Hickory Engineering
Burroughs Price	Russell Dawes, Hempfield Township
James Hogan
Chuck Garrett
Jeff Hoy

Mr. Scott, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. A quorum was present. The Minutes of the April 18, 2000 meeting were approved as mailed with no additions, corrections, or deletions. The motion passed.

N E W B U S I N E S S

1. Preliminary & Final Plans – Creekside Estates - Hempfield Township – Ms. Holm reviewed this with the Committee noting that the plans submitted are requesting preliminary and final approval of a 54 residential lot development. The property is located along the west side of Hamburg Road and is to the south of Greenville. The site is wooded and slopes to the west away from the main road. The surrounding area to the north of the site is additional vacant wooded land with an existing residence at the northeast corner; to the west of the site is vacant wooded land eventually reaching the old canals; to the south some existing residences and properties fronting on Hamburg Road; and to the east some existing residences and properties fronting on Hamburg Road. Further to the east is land available for further development and the Stoneybrook subdivision.

Hempfield Township has designated this area as R-2 Single-Family Residential. She noted that the developers are requesting modifications to several sections of the Mercer County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

· Section 408 provides that development of 15 lots or more must connect to public water systems when it is available within 1 mile of the development. The developers have been discussing the water with the local authority and it has been indicated that service is not available at this time. A related concern is fire protection without the water service. The developer indicated that a future development could provide a hydrant nearby on Hamburg Road. There are also ponds in the area that may provide water in an emergency prior to other development in the area.

· Section 404 addresses street design requirements. Specifically, cul-de-sacs have a maximum slope of 6% while local roads have a maximum of 8%. It was noted that by our ordinance the entire length is included as the cul-de-sac not just the turning end. The cul-de-sacs in this development are between 7 and 8% with leveling areas within the turnaround sections. The topography on this property is sloped enough to warrant these slopes provided the level area is provided for safety.

A motion was made by Mr. Garrett and seconded by Mr. Hoy to recommend approval of these modification requests. The motion passed.

In further discussion of the plans for the project, the overall layout of the development meets the requirements of our ordinance with the exception of the modifications discussed previously. There was discussion with the developer about what types of work can be done following preliminary plan approval.

· Hempfield Township has their engineer reviewing the plans and will provide comments regarding this plan.

In response to the final plan, the following concerns must be addressed prior to consideration of that request:

· The Conservation District has reviewed the storm water management plan and comments must be addressed.

· Some corrections and additional information about the individual lots are needed for final plan completion.

· Bonds would be required for site improvements not completed prior to final. The bonds are not available for this project at this time.

Preliminary plan approval pending township review. A motion was made by Mr. Price and seconded by Mr. Hogan to recommend approval of the preliminary plan for Creekside Estates conditioned upon the complete review from Hempfield Township. The motion passed.

 

2. City of Hermitage – Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment – Ms. Holm reviewed this with the Committee noting that the City would like to establish landscaping and related standards for non-residential development. These amendments would be to both the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance in order to provide shade, beauty, and environmental benefits, enhance property values, provide traffic calming and safer pedestrian access and buffers between residential and non-residential uses.

Preliminary interest in this project was generated by the Route 18 South Corridor Study. These provisions will apply to non-residential land development and site improvements, including expansions of buildings or parking, renovations of 50% or greater, conversions of dwellings to non-residential uses in all permitted zoning districts. This differs from the original concept Hermitage was looking into regarding the Route 18 corridor only.

The discussion of the amendments noted that additional development costs would amount to approximately 8% to 10% however this would ultimately increase the aesthetic value of development within the community.

The Committee discussed the general specifications for curbing, sizes and locations of plant materials, and the pedestrian access requirements. Hermitage intends to prepare a separate graphic guide to help builders and developers apply the regulations. It was felt that having a landscape architect prepare and seal such plans would be appropriate.

Another important concept is the interconnection of off-street parking areas to reduce traffic congestion and ingress/egress points on public streets.

After further discussion, a motion was made by Mr. Rollinson and seconded by Mr. Hoy to make the recommendation for approval of the amendments. The motion passed.

 

3. Zoning and Subdivision Review Procedures and Applicability - A brief discussion relating to current zoning ordinances across the county and the applicability of the Mercer County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance in all municipalities that do not have their own Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. It was noted that this might be a good refresher to the full commission as well.

 

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to conduct, the meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa Holm, Planner

 

 

Mercer County Regional Planning Commission
2491 Highland Road, Hermitage, PA 16148
mail@mcrpc.com    www.mcrpc.com

 

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