Planning commission grants preliminary approval for Millersburg subdivision with conditions tied to Evelyn Drive

The Dauphin County Planning Commission on Nov. 3 approved preliminary plan recommendations for a subdivision involving a medical‑facility parcel on Evelyn Drive in Millersburg, with conditions requiring easement and maintenance documentation and a pedestrian‑easement note.

Staff described the application from the Polk Foundation to subdivide a parcel that straddles Millersburg and Upper Paxton Township and said the portion in Millersburg requires county approval. Staff said Evelyn Drive was constructed and shown as a public road but is privately maintained under a 1991 maintenance agreement; the travelway is about 18 feet wide and does not meet current ordinance standards for a public street. The commission’s recommendation requires the plan to note the existing maintenance agreement, show easements and utility easements across affected lots, and include a pedestrian easement within the 50‑foot right of way so sidewalks can be installed in the future if municipal policy or conditions warrant it.

Commission staff also recommended granting one waiver (preliminary plan approval) with conditions that the applicant place notes on the plan clarifying the road status, the ownership/maintenance arrangement between Millersburg and Upper Paxton, the dates of any waivers granted, and the date of Upper Paxton’s approval. Staff said the proposal should show existing easements that were not mapped on the submitted sheets.

Gary Lenker moved the staff recommendation; Brian Hameroy seconded. The motion carried by voice vote; no recorded nay votes were offered. The commission’s action was procedural: it approved preliminary plan status and conditions to be satisfied prior to final plan acceptance, rather than approving construction work or accepting any public maintenance responsibility for Evelyn Drive.

For clarity, the commission record notes the 1991 maintenance agreement establishes shared maintenance roles (Upper Paxton plows and performs some maintenance up to a delineated point; private property owner handles other repairs). Staff said the right of way is 50 feet wide, which would accommodate future sidewalk installation if and when the municipalities require it.

The commission’s action was limited to the record and plan‑notation requirements described above; no construction contract or funding decision was made at the Nov. 3 meeting.