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Planning commission recommends Grace Manor Homes subdivision to council after approving five waiver requests
Summary
Commission reviewed revised plans for the Grace Manor Homes development on the old Pulaski school site, approved five waiver requests (prelim/final consolidation, partial paving, offset, recreation requirement, and a 28‑foot cartway), and recommended the 21‑lot plan to city council subject to conditions and review memos.
Planning staff and the applicant presented revised materials for the Grace Manor Homes project—planned for the former Pulaski school site across from the Access Community Center—and the commission voted to recommend the application and several waivers to the city council.
Mr. Fritz summarized updated submission materials, including truck‑turning and garbage‑routing diagrams that staff said demonstrated fire and refuse vehicles could operate with the proposed on‑street parking configuration. He said the applicant had provided revised drawings and a waiver package; Colliers Engineering and the county offered advisory comments, notably asking for a wider Harwick Street cartway to allow double‑sided on‑street parking and potential pedestrian safety measures for any crossing.
The commission considered five waiver requests: (1) treating the submission as a combined preliminary/final subdivision and land‑development plan, (2) a partial waiver of full paving requirements for certain alleys and streets, (3) an offset waiver allowing a Harwick Street section offset smaller than the SALDO’s typical 400‑foot requirement, (4) a waiver of the obligation to dedicate on‑site recreation land or pay fees because of proximity to the Access Community Center, and (5) a waiver to permit a 28‑foot cartway width on Harwick Street rather than the ordinance’s 30‑foot standard.
The applicant’s engineer explained the 28‑foot cartway request by citing PennDOT design standards and noting the proposal serves only one side of new housing with off‑street parking and other parking on site; he said widening the cartway to 34 feet would increase impervious surface and maintenance obligations. The city engineering reviewer (Colliers) suggested a 34‑foot width to allow double‑sided parking and address potential parking pressure from the adjacent access center; the fire marshal asked for signage and no‑parking zones on some alleys to preserve turning movements.
Commissioners moved and seconded each waiver individually; each motion passed on voice votes. The commission then moved to recommend the Grace Manor Homes preliminary/final subdivision and land‑development application to city council with conditions: satisfactorily address items in the Planning & Zoning review letter (11/06/2025), Colliers Engineering review (11/06/2025), the Shade Tree Commission memo (11/06/2025) and the Fire Marshal memo (11/06/2025); secure conveyance of property on the west side of the proposed Harwick Street to the Access Community Center before recordation; and finalize development‑improvement and maintenance agreements reviewed by the city solicitor.
The motion to recommend the application carried (a member recorded an abstention during the final vote). The commission instructed the applicant to address the technical memos and return materials as required by the conditions before city council review.
