Update on the Strawberry Acres AARC

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.

On 12/17/2020 at 7:30 PM a planning commission meeting!

The North Whitehall Planning Commission will address the most recent version of the Proposed Strawberry Acres AARC development at a meeting viz zoom on THURSDAY DECEMBER 17 AT 7:30.   This is a special meeting on a special day just to address the AARC issue.   Please sign up and participate in the meeting!   Directions on how to sign up for the meeting are below.

It has been a long 7 years that we have been fighting this issue.  After extensively reviewing the proposed plans, we find that they comply (with the exception a few small details) with the zoning ordinances  of the Township.  Therefore, the Board of Supervisors will probably have to approve the development, as required by law, as soon as these details are made to comply with the various ordinances.   We need your continued support and involvement to help drive this to conclusion.   

 

Although we were not able to stop the development, we should be very proud of our accomplishments.  Remember, the early plans called for 3- and 4- story buildings, high density, a smaller plot of ground, and on site sewage disposal.   The development is now 90 2-story units, plus a required 2 story community center on a larger plot of ground, lower density, more landscape barriers for sight line blockage, and a full sewage plant operated by an independent authority.   These are significant changes that only occurred because of the efforts of the landowners in the area expressing our continued interest to the North Whitehall Township authorities. Thank you.  We would also like to thank the Board of Supervisors and Chris Garges for their help throughout this process.

To register for the meeting on your phone or tablet, go the the North Whitehall Township website and:

• On the phone version click the 3 bars in the top right corner
• Then click on "Departments"
• click on the "Planning" Icon
• in the department menu bar click on the 4 line icon on the right side
• click on the "Agenda / Minutes" line item
• In the area just above the date table note the sentence "To view our most recent agenda please (click here)"   Click where it says click here.
• Download the documents that come up.   In the first document there is a link for reserving a spot in the meeting.   Click on that and provide the requested information.   You will receive a return email with an actual link for the zoom meeting.

To reserve using a computer is similar.

• Go to the North Whitehall Township webpage.
• Click on the Planning Icon
• Click on the "Agenda / Minutes" in the menu box
• In the area just above the date table note the sentence "To view our most recent agenda please (click here)"   Click where it says click here.
• Download the documents that come up.   In the first document there is a link for reserving a spot in the meeting.   Click on that and provide the requested information.   You will receive a return email with an actual link for the zoom meeting.

Next set of AARC Plans to be Presented at the 12/17/20 Planning Commission Mtg

 The Strawberry Acres AARC has submitted new plans for the Township's Approval.  These plans will be first reviewed at the Planning Commission Meeting December 17, 2020 at 7:30pm; please check the North Whitehall Township website for the final location of the meeting. 

In regards to the plans, the layout is similar to ones presented in the past, with some significant changes in house size and ratio of single building units to multiple attached units.  Further significant changes have been to the plan to comply with comments on previous plans to comply most of the comments by the Zoning Consultant.  Our most concerning issue remains to be how homes are placed on slopes of 15% or greater.  Heather and Tom are continuing to look into this issue, as well as other construction concerns. We expect the Township's Consultant to have a report available approximately one week before the meeting.  

More information will be provided after we review that report, and as research continues.

Notice: Pre-Regisiter for Planning Commission Mtg on 8/25

 The Strawberry Acres AARC is on the agenda for the 8/25/2020 Planning Commission Meeting.  They are asking for a Lot Line Adjustment.

This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.  You MUST pre-register to receive the Zoom link.

To pre-register go to  the most recent set of Planning Commission Minutes here:  http://northwhitehall.org/planagenda.pdf to get a tiny url link to the meeting registration.

The Township is asking that you get your link early in order to ensure a smooth meeting experience.

The meeting will be 8/25/2020 at 7:30 PM.

Friends of Laurel Wood has reviewed the Lot Line Adjustment information and does have questions that they will be asking at the meeting.

August 2020 update

Here's an update from Friends of Laurel Wood Association President Tom VanVreede, written after the Township meeting on 8/4/2020.

According to Chris at the Township, the Developer has asked to be removed from the last two Planning Commission meetings to continue to work on plans.   He expects that they will be back to the Planning board this month to restart the process.

The first expected step is the Developer will ask the Planning Commission board at the August 25th 7:30pm meeting to approve a Lot Line Adjustment.   This is needed to add land to the AARC necessary to meet the 25 acre minimum plus additional space for water runoff, recreation area, and other requirements that the contracted zoning expert brought up.  Currently the drawings for the Lot Line Adjustment that they initially submitted for review (then withdrew) at the June Planning meeting seem to be the basis of what they will bring back in August.  This contains a lot of land on the west side of Overlook Road from just north of the existing farm pond to the area that they previously had on the west side of the road including the area dedicated to the waste water treatment plant.  It is uncertain if that area on the west side of Overlook and north of Clearview remains as part of the proposed AARC or if it would be removed.   Review shows several questions/issues that can be raised with their drawings for the adjustment.    When the Planning board approves it, either at this meeting or a later meeting if there are things to be fixed, then it would be presented to the North Whitehall Township Commissioners for approval.  That could be taken up as early as the September meeting, but more likely it will be October at the earliest, even if it is forwarded to the Commissioners on the first reading.   If you want to you can check the agenda of the Planning Board on the Township Website (check repeatedly) before the meeting to review the agenda and submitted drawings as we get closer to the meeting.

The lot line adjustment will be approved at some point.   This is just a legal matter to break up the old farm into two parts that can be treated differently.   This is a common action that is approved all the time.  As long as they fulfill the requirements of various ordinances there is no legal reason for this not to be approved.

Once they have the land issue resolved, then the Developer will go back to the Planning Commission with the proposal to build an AARC.   This is the general issues of an AARC itself, and that they have satisfied the general requirements of the AARC ordinances (such as space, utilities, number of units and sewer) and have the right to build the facility.   Again, it is expected that it would take more then one presentation before the Planning board will forward it to the Township Commissioners for their action.  That could take several meetings before a resolution is reached.

Assuming that a AARC is eventually approved, then then process of planning review prior to the Commissioners review is repeated for the exact design details proposed by the developer.  The most optimistic time frame for the developer is to obtain full approval by the end of the year.   Most likely the process will extend further as it has in the past.  Remember we cannot prevent the Developer from developing the property in a legal fashion.  We can, however, make sure what is built is fully in line with land use and codes in order to protect our property values as much as possible.

July 2020 update

The Developer of the Strawberry Acres property has again postponed asking the Planning Commission for a lot line adjustment.  It will, therefore, not be happening at the July 2020 meeting, and is tenatively planned to occur at the August 2020 meeting on August 25, 2020.

Update 6/23/2020 - Lot Line

Just an FYI, the developer of Strawberry Acres had submitted a request for another lot line adjustment (needed to accommodate the 91 units they insist on building for the Active Over 55 community) and it was supposed to go before the Planning Commission on 6/23/2020. 

As per the developer's request, this is being postponed until a future date that has yet to be determined.