Dauphin County planning commission backs three township rezoning requests affecting Swatara corridor, Williams Farm

The Dauphin County Planning Commission on Aug. 4 voted to endorse staff recommendations for three township zoning amendments: two related rezoning requests in Swatara Township that would allow a proposed assisted‑living facility and adjacent mixed uses, a Lower Swatara Township rezoning and text amendment for the 202‑acre Williams Farm to permit an age‑restricted community, and a Susquehanna Township rezoning to allow a new elementary school.

The commission’s recommendations are advisory to the affected townships; commissioners approved the staff recommendations by voice vote with no recorded nays.

County planning staff and applicants described each proposal and identified issues the townships should consider. Joel McNaughton, the applicant and presenter on all three Swatara‑area items, described the first Swatara parcel as “a 17‑acre site. It’s currently zoned RS. It’s got a power line that runs through the middle of it,” and said the applicants seek Commercial‑Limited (CL) zoning for an assisted‑living/personal‑care facility that could use lower‑impact uses under the CL district and place parking under the power line.

County staff (Jerry, planning staff) told the commission the proposals are generally consistent with recent changes along the Route 441 corridor and that the county has “no major concerns” with the rezoning requests as presented, but staff urged townships to examine infrastructure capacity — stormwater, water and sewer — and traffic impacts as part of detailed land development review. Jerry also recommended townships evaluate whether small residual parcels left in agricultural or residential zoning should be considered for conservation or other protections.

On the adjacent properties that Joel McNaughton described as controlled by Paul Navarro, attorney Sean Delaney of Stevens & Lee described a two‑part request: extending CL zoning along the 441 frontage (to allow a winery and related parking and events) and expanding multifamily/residential‑multifamily (RM) zoning inland for a mix of housing types. Delaney said the plan would include a winery facing the road with parking behind it and a mix of single‑family, duplex and townhouse units inside the RM area.

For Lower Swatara Township, McNaughton presented a separate application for the Williams Farm, a roughly 202‑acre site. The proposal would rezone the tract to Residential Suburban (RS) and accompany a text amendment to allow age‑restricted residential development in RS as a conditional use. McNaughton said the plan depicts about 448 dwelling units (approximately a 70/30 split of single‑family detached to duplex/semi‑detached units), a 10,000–12,000‑square‑foot clubhouse, a pool, four pickleball courts and other amenities, and that the community would be age restricted to meet federal fair‑housing standards requiring 80% of units to have at least one resident age 55 or older and a rule preventing permanent residents under 18.

County staff again recommended that the township consider infrastructure and traffic impacts, and noted it prefers that map (rezoning) changes and text‑amendment requests be handled separately so that issues with one do not delay the other.

The commission also considered a Susquehanna Township request to rezone a conservation parcel to a medium‑density residential district at the school district’s request; staff noted the school district had purchased the property and sought the rezoning to permit an elementary school that is not allowed under the existing conservation designation. Staff asked the township to confirm parcel boundaries and consider impacts to adjacent parcels included in the rezoning request.

Commission members asked applicants about access points, stormwater management and unit counts. McNaughton said final site engineering and stormwater plans would be part of later land‑development submissions and that exact bed or unit counts for the assisted‑living facility were not specified at the zoning stage. On the Williams Farm, McNaughton and commissioners cited the plan’s lower expected traffic impacts because of the age‑restricted design.

After discussion, commissioners voted to approve staff recommendations for the Swatara Township items (the Keckler Road/Route 441 site and the adjacent Navarro parcels), the Lower Swatara Township Williams Farm rezoning and text amendment, and the Susquehanna Township rezoning; each motion carried on a voice vote with no nays recorded.

The commission’s action is advisory; each affected township (Swatara Township, Lower Swatara Township and Susquehanna Township) must take final legislative action and will evaluate detailed land development, stormwater and infrastructure permitting in subsequent reviews. The planning commission noted next steps include township public hearings and the submission of full land‑development plans and permit applications when applicants proceed.

The commission’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8.