Submitted by Adrian Garcia The meeting began with a report from Frank Evelhoch, Chair of the Land Preservation and Review Board, who provided an annual update to the Board of Supervisors. The Township preserved the 14.4 acre Shillelagh Farm at 623 Carlisle Pike with the Natural Lands Trust (read their announcement here), and a 42.4 acre plot at 56 Greenville Road. There are five additional properties that have accepted the Township’s offer to purchase their development rights, and going through the legal proceedings to finalize the deal. In addition to these five, there are three properties going through the application process. The goals for the year are to continue to preserve undeveloped land, and to educate property owners. The Township is also all but guaranteed to surpass 1,000 acres this year, and celebration planning is already underway. With another 4,000 acres still eligible for preservation, the board has their work cut out for them. Evelhoch acknowledged that it is unrealistic to think that all of it will be preserved, but one can hope.
Township Manager Ray Palmer gave an update on the Township’s financial status, noting that the Township is ahead of income projections due to the completion of the Costco sale. However, the opening of the Costco store has been delayed to Fall 2025 due to unforeseen challenges with the site’s geology. The development of Paul Walters Park continues, although the Township did not secure a multimodal grant for the project. Palmer also mentioned that the Township is in the middle of its annual financial audit.
The public hearing on a zoning text amendment proposed by Statewide Partners LLC and Kennith Homes sparked significant debate. The amendment sought to introduce a new “Accessible Residential Multi-Family Dwelling” definition in the INT-RG zone, which would allow accessible multi-family developments. This was a wildly unpopular proposal among attendees and Supervisors alike, and seen as an attempt to bypass restrictions on where apartment complexes can be built.
Read the saga here.The Vote
Preceding the vote, the supervisors all stated their opinion on the matter.
- Supervisor Laura Brown opposed continuance and the amendment, stating that this is not the appropriate location for apartments, not the intended use of the land, and is tired of tinkering with our zoning ordinances for developers’ sake.
- Supervisor Nancy Konhaus opposed the amendment, stating that she is not interested in putting housing along the interstate, and that that was never the attention of the INT-RG zone. She also added that we do not need to be in a hurry to develop everything right now and that some day there will be a developer willing to utilize that land.
- Supervisor Harry Kotzmoyer opposed the amendment, stating that maintaining the Township’s ordinances is integral to its integrity.
- Supervisor David Lenker, somewhat uncharacteristically, said that did not have a comment. This was met by laughter from the audience.
- Supervisor Carl Machamer stated that he would have liked to review the developer’s changes and solicit advice from Cumberland County before making his final decision.
- Supervisor David Lenker then commented that the township lacks apartments, and that there is also a lack of by-right multi-family zoning.
When asked for a motion by the Chairman Carl Machamer, Supervisor Laura Brown motioned to deny, with Harry Kotzmoyer seconding. All five supervisors voted in favor of the denial, though Supervisor David Lenker was directly asked for his vote by the Chairman, as it was unclear if voted during the calls in favor/against.
Link to original
Finally, the Board upheld a Planning Commission decision against streaming their meetings online despite wide public support. Concerns about hybrid meetings and potential misuse of AI were cited, although residents argued that public meetings should be streamed to increase transparency.
Additionally, several smaller items were discussed, including a proposal by HSS Investors for a fee in lieu of sidewalks and the approval of a Pennsy Supply MOU related to easements for potential trail construction. Other updates included progress on ongoing projects like Paul Walters Park and the Municipal Campus, with the meeting concluding after nearly five hours of discussion.
Opinion
This was one of the most “action” packed meetings I’ve attended outside the Trindle Springs Trade Center debacle, and there was far too much information to fit in a relatively short format. As such, I have cleaned up my meeting notes and included them as a supplemental for more detail.