Planning commission backs rezoning of 180 South Ridge Road to allow seasonal ball fields

The Huntington Township Planning Commission voted to give a favorable recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to change the zoning on 180 South Ridge Road from agricultural to commercial/industrial to allow seasonal outdoor ball fields and, on occasion, auction activity.

Applicant Mr. Weaver told the commission he proposed four seasonal fields, grassed overflow parking, portable restrooms and a small storage shed for equipment. He said the fields would primarily serve local youth teams — including his children — and could host weekend tournaments. "It's 4 fields basically," he said while walking commissioners through aerial images and a proposed layout. He added that permanent lighting and large permanent structures were not planned at this time.

The commission’s engineer and members pressed for specifics. Commissioners and staff said any heavy or repeated use, significant grading, or parking and access changes would trigger the township’s land-development and erosion-and-sediment (ENS) review. The engineer noted the county review and the township review are separate steps: land-development engineering and any required conservation-district reviews would follow a favorable zoning recommendation.

Several officials warned the applicant about tax consequences if agricultural land in the Clean and Green program is rezoned. "The tax office...can confirm to you what would trigger it," County planning staff advised, urging Mr. Weaver to contact the tax office to obtain a rollback estimate before the supervisors’ hearing. Commissioners recommended the applicant consider rezoning only a portion of the farm to limit potential rollback liability, though the applicant said he preferred rezoning the whole parcel now to avoid repeated applications if uses expand later.

County planning staff also flagged traffic and access concerns for large trailers and heavy equipment on narrow township roads and said routing or access-point design — matters addressed in land-development review — could mitigate the issues. Commissioners reiterated that zoning changes govern use; traffic, road-conditioning and heavy-equipment access are reviewed in the land-development and permit stages.

Commissioner Speaker 2 moved that the planning commission recommend the supervisors change the zoning from agricultural to commercial/industrial; Speaker 1 seconded and the motion carried with no recorded opposition. The commission recorded the recommendation; the Board of Supervisors will consider the map change at an upcoming public hearing in early August. The applicant was advised to obtain rollback-cost information and engineering feedback before that hearing.

Next procedural steps: the matter will appear before the Board of Supervisors for a zoning-map change (a supervisors’ hearing, not a zoning hearing-board variance). If the supervisors approve the map change, any specific site work (parking surfacing, grading, access improvements, or permanent structures) will require separate land-development approvals and any required conservation-district filings.