Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harrisburg council approves rezoning for Liberty View development despite neighborhood traffic concerns
Summary
After extensive public comment urging a traffic study and a request to table, the Harrisburg City Council approved ordinance 2024-09 rezoning Track 2 of the Paul Mellon addition for residential development; staff said a traffic impact study will be completed during engineering.
The Harrisburg City Council on Oct. 11 approved ordinance 2024-09 to rezone Track 2 of the Paul Mellon addition, a parcel south of Venture (Adventure) Elementary School, after hearing multiple residents urge a delay until a traffic impact study is completed.
Nathan Barrow, a Baker Circle resident, asked the council to "please table the vote" while Mayor Wind and Empire Homes complete a promised traffic study; Barrow said the proposed development could add "thousands" of residents and that Empire Homes intends to use the elementary school's driveway as one of the primary exits. "Until the traffic impact study is done and then reviewed, I asked the council to consider tabling the votes, today tonight," Barrow said.
Chad Eby, with planning and billing services, told the council that Empire Companies and Liberty View LLC have met with neighbors and agreed to a joint traffic study with the developer to the north; Eby said typical traffic today is "about 4,000 vehicles per day" and that projected increases will be realized over multiple years as the subdivision is built in phases. Eby also summarized developer commitments discussed in neighborhood meetings: a planted berm and tree screening, limiting building height to two stories for the first roughly 100 feet from Louise Avenue, and stubbing roads to the north, east and west to allow future connections.
Despite neighborhood appeals for delay, a council member moved to approve the ordinance. The motion passed on a roll call after members voiced "Aye." The ordinance was recorded as approved.
The council and staff noted that traffic impact studies are commonly completed during the engineering phase rather than at rezoning. Eby said the study will indicate where turn lanes or signals may be needed along Louise Avenue and across the corridor as development proceeds.
Next steps: the developer is expected to complete the traffic impact study in coordination with neighboring property owners as part of the engineering process; the rezoning approval allows the planned residential development to proceed into those future phases.
