Carbon County planning panel approves Family Dollar subdivision, sends Franklin Township apartment plan back for changes

Carbon County Planning Commission members on an undated meeting agenda reviewed multiple land‑development plans affecting Franklin Township, Lansford Borough and other county locations, approving a Family Dollar lot subdivision and a separate lot annexation while sending two other proposals back for more information or engineering review.

Planning staff summarized technical and regulatory deficiencies in several submissions, and the commission voted separately on each application rather than taking a single omnibus action.

Planning‑staff findings and why they matter

Planning staff told the commission that the Eldridge Realty Company application to subdivide and recombine lots around an existing Family Dollar in Lansford met zoning setbacks and township requirements as submitted, and staff recommended approval. The commission approved that subdivision by voice vote.

Staff summarized a separate private‑garage land‑development submission for property at or near 1290 Main Road in Franklin Township and identified missing documentation: a soil erosion and sedimentation control plan, a drainage/stormwater management plan, surveyor certification, ownership and maintenance agreements, documentation required under the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission review, and a Natural Diversity Index determination. Staff said the applicant had not shown sanitary or water service for the new building and that the township engineer’s review comments remained outstanding. The commission voted to forward the plan for further review rather than grant approval.

A multi‑lot annexation plan involving parcels with wetlands and steep slopes — described in the staff report as including Denison Run and other streams and several created wetland areas — was found to meet minimum lot sizes but requested multiple waivers (map scale, contour intervals and others). Staff recommended approval of that plan with the requested waivers, and the commission approved it.

A proposed apartment development in Franklin Township drew the most extensive staff critique. Planning staff reported the preliminary plan did not conform with Franklin Township’s subdivision and land‑development requirements and listed numerous missing or incomplete items: a highway occupancy permit, original seals and signatures for recordation, a developer’s agreement to guarantee installation and maintenance of improvements, an engineer‑signed as‑built requirement, a complete erosion and sedimentation control plan, a stormwater management plan and an NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit because the project disturbs more than one acre. Staff also cited parking shortfalls: the township standard requires 2 spaces per dwelling unit plus 0.25 additional spaces per unit, which staff calculated as 135 required spaces; the submitted plan showed 91 spaces (including six handicap spaces and six electric vehicle spaces), and staff called out an internal inconsistency in the parking count.

Other technical concerns listed by staff for the apartment submission included proposed building heights and lengths that had previously been the subject of a special‑exception decision; lack of documentation showing the water authority will supply service; absence of a stormwater basin buffer and landscape plan; plant species proposed that the engineer said are not on the township’s acceptable plant list; incomplete fire‑safety water‑supply documentation; and missing traffic, sight‑distance and snow‑storage details. Based on those and other items, the reviewing planning commission voted to send the apartment preliminary plan back for further review and did not recommend approval at this time.

Votes at a glance

- Eldridge Realty Company (Family Dollar lot subdivision): motion to approve; outcome: approved (voice vote; recorded as unanimous by those voting). - Private garage (1290 Main Road, Franklin Township): motion to submit plan for further review and require township engineer comments; outcome: referred for review (approved by voice vote). - Multi‑lot annexation (lots including wetlands and Denison Run): motion to approve plan and requested waivers; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Apartment project (three buildings, 60 units on 5.39 acres, Franklin Township): staff recommended against approval as submitted; commission voted to review without recommending approval and return it to the applicant/engineer for corrections. - Adjournment: passed.

What remains to happen

For projects that received conditional or final approval from the commission, staff noted that final recording and construction permits remain contingent on satisfying township engineer comments, submitting required permits (for example, the highway occupancy permit and any DEP/NPDES approvals), and executing any required developer’s agreements or performance guarantees. The apartment proposal will need corrected plans, required permits and utility confirmations before the commission or township supervisors consider a recommendation of approval.

Meeting context and process notes

Planning staff presented detailed, itemized engineering and ordinance compliance comments during each agenda item. Most votes were taken by voice with no roll‑call names recorded in the transcript. Several items were explicitly described as “preliminary” or as final plans that nevertheless lacked the documentation required for recordation and issuance of a certificate of conformance. The commission’s actions were procedural (approve, refer for further review, or withhold recommendation) rather than approvals of construction to begin; staff repeatedly noted that certificate of conformance and occupancy would not be issued until required improvements and documentation were verified by the township engineer and any performance guarantees posted.

Ending

The commission concluded the session after the technical reviews and an adjournment vote. Pending items will return to the commission or township staff after applicants submit revised materials and the outstanding permits and certifications are obtained.