Planning Commission

The Halifax Township Planning Commission met on September 7, 2016, with all five members present: Flo Mallonee, Fred Ford, Dwight Hoffman, Randy Paul, and Chad Lebo, along with Engineer Frank Lentz and Solicitor Bruce Warshawsky. The brief meeting, running from 7:25 to 8:12 PM, centered on two land development matters and a discussion about streamlining the township's stormwater management process.

• Doughboys Restaurant and Micro Brewery (B2 Partners) — recommended for conditional approval (5-0): The commission recommended approval of the preliminary plan for this Route 225 project, granting several waivers: a preliminary plan procedure waiver, a conditional cul-de-sac length waiver, a partial landscaping waiver (requiring landscaping only adjacent to the B2 Partners-owned parcel at the northwest corner), and a curb/sidewalk waiver conditioned on a note for future installation along Route 225. Approval was contingent on satisfying all comments in Engineer Frank Lentz's August 24, 2016 memo and the Dauphin County Subdivision and Land Review Report. Tony Trost of Third Mountain Surveying represented the applicant.

• Doug Landis Subdivision (DCNR) — accepted for review (5-0): A new subdivision plan involving DCNR property was accepted to begin the formal review process.

• Stormwater management process discussion: Supervisor Chairman Bechtel relayed concerns from engineers that routing stormwater management applications through the Planning Commission is unnecessary and creates delays. The commission discussed separating stormwater management from the SALDO Ordinance into a stand-alone ordinance, with only land development stormwater matters requiring Planning Commission review. The stormwater management fee was also flagged for a possible increase.

• Upcoming business: The commission noted that use of driveways as private rights-of-way to access adjacent parcels would be discussed at the next meeting.