CALN TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
July 18, 2017
The Planning Commission held their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in the Caln Township Municipal Building. It was noted the June Planning Commission Meeting was cancelled. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chairperson Dave Lamb.
Roll Call – In attendance for the Planning Commission were Dave Lamb, Jill Hammond, Jim Benko, Ken Simon and John Robinson.
Also in attendance was Cheryl A. Lafferty, Planning Commission Secretary and Tom Wilkes, PE, Cedarville Engineering Group, LLC.
Approval of Minutes – Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to approve the minutes of May 23, 2017 Planning Commission meeting. The motion was so moved by Mr. Simon and seconded by Mr. Benko. Poll: Mr. Robinson aye, Mr. Lamb aye, Mr. Simon aye, Mr. Benko aye. Mrs. Hammond abstained. Motion passed.
Communications – None.
Public Comment – None.
Dwell at Caln PRD 2011 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 – In attendance representing the plan were John Jaros, Esq., Vic Kelly, PE, Commonwealth Engineers, Inc. and applicant Scott Risbon. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Lengthy discussion occurred, noting the following:
Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to recommend Preliminary Plan approval of the Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 project, with the understanding the Planning Commission is agreeable to the following conditions to the items as listed in the July 18, 2017 Waiver Request Letter of Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.:
Brief discussion occurred, with Mr. Lamb opening the floor for a vote. Mr. Benko made a motion to recommend Preliminary Plan approval of the Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 project, with the conditions as noted by Mr. Lamb, the motion was seconded by Mr. Robinson. Poll: Mr. Simon aye, Mr. Benko aye, Mr. Robinson aye, Mr. Lamb aye, Mrs. Hammond nay. Motion passed 4-1.
It was noted the applicant will present their requests to the Board of Commissioners and if approved, will continue discussions with the Municipal Authority working out details, as well as dealing with DEP. Once accomplished, applicant will come back before the Planning Commission to present a final plan.
Hills at Thorndale Woods Final LD 2015 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until December 31, 2017.
301 Bondsville Road SD 2016 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Old Business – None.
New Business – None.
Adjournment – Mr. Lamb questioned if there was any other business, with nothing stated
Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was so moved. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
To the best of my knowledge, this summarizes the minutes of the July 18, 2017 Planning Commission meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl A. Lafferty
Planning Secretary
July 18, 2017
The Planning Commission held their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in the Caln Township Municipal Building. It was noted the June Planning Commission Meeting was cancelled. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chairperson Dave Lamb.
Roll Call – In attendance for the Planning Commission were Dave Lamb, Jill Hammond, Jim Benko, Ken Simon and John Robinson.
Also in attendance was Cheryl A. Lafferty, Planning Commission Secretary and Tom Wilkes, PE, Cedarville Engineering Group, LLC.
Approval of Minutes – Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to approve the minutes of May 23, 2017 Planning Commission meeting. The motion was so moved by Mr. Simon and seconded by Mr. Benko. Poll: Mr. Robinson aye, Mr. Lamb aye, Mr. Simon aye, Mr. Benko aye. Mrs. Hammond abstained. Motion passed.
Communications – None.
Public Comment – None.
Dwell at Caln PRD 2011 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 – In attendance representing the plan were John Jaros, Esq., Vic Kelly, PE, Commonwealth Engineers, Inc. and applicant Scott Risbon. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Lengthy discussion occurred, noting the following:
- Project started in 2008/2009 with a Text Amendment, then Conditional Use which requires a Preliminary Plan be filed. A Special Exception was filed for a stream crossing, and granted;
- Cedarville Engineering Group, LLC completed a review letter on the project dated July 18, 2017 which was forwarded to the applicant and Planning Commission. Also distributed was a five page Waiver Request letter from Commonwealth Engineers, Inc. dated July 18, 2017, requesting relief of 20 items. Having just received the letters, it was noted the Planning Commission did not have adequate time to review;
- Mr. Jaros stated out of the 10 page review letter, a lot of the items have been addressed or solutions proposed;
- The project is for a 57 unit Senior Apartment Building;
- The parcel is a challenging site;
- Applicant has secured their NPDES Permit, PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit and Special Exception;
- Applicant is aware they need to secure public sewer, and will proceed with that item once Preliminary Plan Approval has been granted, allowing them to move forward;
- Mr. Jaros stated that during the Conditional Use Testimony a “Straw Poll” was taken, with the Board of Commissioners’ consensus on the Waivers;
- At this point, the Commission reviewed the July 18, 2017 Waiver Request Letter item by item:
- Administration Waivers:
- a. Plan Scale: Planning Commission was agreeable to the request as outlined in the July 18, 2017 Waiver Request Letter;
- d. Recreation Area: Mr. Kelly stated there is an adjoining parcel Mr. Risbon was proposing to purchase and use as the Recreation Open Space, however the Board was not in full agreement and this needs to be discussed further. Consensus of the Planning Commission was to accept a Fee in Lieu of the Open Space, to use elsewhere in the Township;
- Design Waivers:
- b. Sidewalks: Applicant is seeking Waiver of sidewalks on Bondsville Road. Sidewalks will be installed into the facility. Consensus of the Planning Commission was to accept a Fee in Lieu of the Sidewalks on Bondsville Road, to use the funds elsewhere in the Township, however requested a note be placed on the plan should sidewalks be required at a later date the Township would install;
- c. Building Setbacks: Planning Commission was agreeable to using the property lines as the setback, as opposed to the Easement. Applicant stated additional landscaping and buffering is proposed;
- e. Curbing: It was the consensus of the Planning Commission to waive the requirement for the curbing along Bondsville Road as no sidewalks will be installed, however requested a Fee in Lieu of the requirement in conjunction with the sidewalks;
- Stormwater Management Waivers:
- f. 24-Hour On-Site Attenuation: Deals with standing water issues on the property that need to be infiltrated. Applicant has met NPDES standards. Soils and plantings discussed. Mr. Lamb stated water is a big issue. It was the consensus of the Planning Commission that this item needs further discussion with the Board of Commissioners;
- g. Maximum Impervious Surface Cover: the Planning Commission was agreeable to the Waiver Request as outlined;
- h. Storm Sewer Size: It was the consensus of the Planning Commission if the Engineers were agreeable to this and affixing their Seals to plans, the Planning Commission was agreeable to the Waiver Request as outlined;
- Items i through l discussed as a grouping:
- i. Groundwater Recharge Volume:
- j. Modified Infiltration Volume Requirement: Per Mr. Kelly they have met NPDES standards.
- k. Basin Design Development Conditions:
- l. 10-Year Post to 2-Year Pre Runoff Rates: The Planning Commission combined items i, j, k & l into one grouping, stating the cumulative thoughts of the Planning Commission expressed concerns regarding stormwater and runoff and their impact. The Planning Commission would be agreeable to said Waiver Requests, if it was demonstrated to the satisfaction of Township Staff and proven that the runoff could be contained, with the responsibility being placed upon the Engineers affixing their Seals on the plan;
- m. Basin Location & Discharge: The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request as outlined, if acceptable to the Township;
- n. Basin Top-Berm Width: The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request as outlined, however noted safety concerns. Mr. Risbon agreed to install fencing for safety, however it is not required;
- o. Bottom of Basin Slope: The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request as outlined;
- p. Emergency Spillway Construction: The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request as outlined;
- q. Minimum Separation Distance: Section 137-44.O(12) states the minimum distance between a stormwater facility and a building or structure shall be 30 feet. Applicant is requesting a waiver to allow a minimum of 16 feet. The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request;
- r. Minimum Separation Distance: Section 137-44.O(13) states the minimum distance between a stormwater facility and any property line shall be 50 feet. Applicant is requesting a waiver to allow a minimum of 4 feet to the lotline. The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request;
- s. Riparian Buffer Zone 1: The Planning Commission was agreeable to this Waiver Request as outlined;
- t. Riparian Buffer Zone 2: The Planning Commission was not agreeable to this Waiver Request, in their opinion it is too close to the water with flooding. It was the consensus of the Planning Commission that this item needs further discussion with the Board of Commissioners.
Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to recommend Preliminary Plan approval of the Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 project, with the understanding the Planning Commission is agreeable to the following conditions to the items as listed in the July 18, 2017 Waiver Request Letter of Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.:
- items a, c, f, g, h, m, n, o, p, q, r, s and;
- items i, j, k & l proven to the satisfaction of Township staff;
- items b, d & e conditioned upon payment of Fee in Lieu of;
- item t however was not recommend for acceptance of the Waiver Request, noting this item needs further discussion with the Board of Commissioners.
Brief discussion occurred, with Mr. Lamb opening the floor for a vote. Mr. Benko made a motion to recommend Preliminary Plan approval of the Bondsville Road Apartments LD 2013 project, with the conditions as noted by Mr. Lamb, the motion was seconded by Mr. Robinson. Poll: Mr. Simon aye, Mr. Benko aye, Mr. Robinson aye, Mr. Lamb aye, Mrs. Hammond nay. Motion passed 4-1.
It was noted the applicant will present their requests to the Board of Commissioners and if approved, will continue discussions with the Municipal Authority working out details, as well as dealing with DEP. Once accomplished, applicant will come back before the Planning Commission to present a final plan.
Hills at Thorndale Woods Final LD 2015 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until December 31, 2017.
301 Bondsville Road SD 2016 – No one in attendance. The extension agreement is valid until October 15, 2017.
Old Business – None.
New Business – None.
Adjournment – Mr. Lamb questioned if there was any other business, with nothing stated
Mr. Lamb entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was so moved. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
To the best of my knowledge, this summarizes the minutes of the July 18, 2017 Planning Commission meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl A. Lafferty
Planning Secretary
| pc_minutes_071817.pdf |
