We were pleasantly surprised when the Planning Commission, on 12/17/2020, voted 3-2 not to make any recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on the Strawberry Acres AARC proposal. This does not stop the developer from presenting the proposal to the Board of Supervisors for a decision, but does signal the Supervisors that the Planning Commission has significant reservations as to the benefit of this development to the community.
Multiple members of the commission questioned the:
--General concerns about to fit the special characteristics of an AARC community into the existing rural neighborhoods.
--How the special requirements of an AARC community specified in the ordinances (such as age restrictions) be applied to the initial residents, and how these will be preserved and maintained as the individual units are resold.
-How the Homeowners Association will work and provide for continued maintenance of the facility.
--What will be the Townships method of enforcing these special requirements if the Homeowners association fail to maintain the required actions.
--The lack of a traffic study at this point in the overall development process and how that creates uncertainty in the decision making process. (A traffic study will be required later as part of the Land Development process.)
--Safety concerns with traffic flow especially with the corner of Overlook and Clearview, and with known safety issues along Clearview Road between Overlook and 145.
--Who will be responsible for road safety improvements.
Based on these concerns, and hopefully the comments presented by the concerned existing residents, the Planning Commissioners decided not to make a recommendation. This is a middle of the road type of decision. Their alternatives was to recommend approval of the proposal with or without specified provisions, not to make any recommendation, or to recommend a rejection to the Board of Supervisors.
What is next? Most likely a presentation to the Board of Supervisors requesting them to approve. The lawyer for the developer strongly indicated that they believe it is their right under law to build an AARC facility in this location. As such they will be moving forward to obtain it's approval.
The 2021 Board of Supervisors meeting schedule and agendas have not been posted at this time. I have emailed a request to the Township asking them if the developed has asked to be placed on a meeting agenda and when. I will keep in touch with the Township on this and let everyone know.
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