Commission approves Millersburg subdivision with conditions, flags private/public road issues

The commission voted to grant preliminary plan approval with conditions for a subdivision on property owned by the Polk Foundation that includes a medical facility straddling Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township.

Staff noted the parcel fronts on Evelyn Drive, which had been shown historically as a public road but is privately maintained and only about 18 feet wide. The plan review found no prior complete record of the road's maintenance arrangements until material provided by the Polk Foundation and township staff. Under the current subdivision rules, public access and adequate right-of-way are required; staff reported an existing 50-foot right-of-way for Evelyn Drive but said the paved/drivable portion functioned more like a private driveway.

To address those issues, staff recommended approval conditioned on: showing utility easements on the plan, including a note that Evelyn Drive is existing and nonconforming and identifying maintenance responsibilities between the property owner and Upper Paxton Township (maintenance information traces to a 1991 maintenance agreement), and placing a pedestrian easement note on the plan within the 50-foot right-of-way so sidewalks can be installed if/when future development calls for them (in lieu of immediate sidewalk construction given the rural context).

Commissioners moved and seconded the staff recommendations and the motion carried with no recorded opposition. The approval was strictly for preliminary plan approval with the listed conditions, not final construction permits; staff said the conditions should be reflected on revised plan sheets before final recording.