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Carbon County planning staff recommends against rezoning of Packard Township parcels proposed by CANDU
Summary
County planning staff reviewed a proposal by Greater Hazen Community Area (CANDU) to rezone about 30 acres from conservation to light industrial and recommended the request is not in Packard Township's best interest without additional information and studies.
Carbon County planning staff reviewed a Packard Township rezoning request from the Greater Hazen Community Area development group (identified as CANDU) and advised that, as submitted, the amendment would not appear to serve Packard Township residents’ interests without more information and studies.
The applicant requested rezoning two tax parcels totaling about 30 acres from C-1 (conservation) to I-1 (light industrial). County staff flagged multiple concerns: submitted application maps were low-resolution and hard to read; aerial imagery and an on-site inspection indicated earthmoving activity inconsistent with the applicant’s statement that no improvements exist; and the application did not explain anticipated uses or how the land would comply with Section 505 uses in the Packard Township zoning ordinance.
Staff also noted a discrepancy in minimum-lot-size requirements among adjacent municipalities: Banks Township’s M-1 district has a two-acre minimum, while Packard Township’s I-1 district requires a 10-acre minimum with on-lot water/sewer or a five-acre minimum with off-site service. The commission asked the applicant to explain how the request would create consistency across municipalities when minimum-area standards differ.
The Carbon County Planning Commission’s review letter recommended that Packard Township require additional studies before adopting a zoning amendment, including environmental-impact and resource-conservation analyses and site-specific reports on potential effects to the adjacent Quayke Creek. Staff also observed that a revised Banks Township zoning map had not been formally submitted to the county for review as required under state law.
The transcript records the planning commission preparing these review comments and recommending that Packard Township supervisors consider them before any adoption. The county’s review cites the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247) as the legal framework governing submission of proposed zoning amendments to a county planning agency for comment.
