Board approves waivers and conditional plan approval for 3021 East Market development after hearing access concerns

Applicant representatives for LD2024‑0002 (3021 East Market) presented the land‑development plan and asked the board to act on seven requested waivers. Nick Ward and the project team said the lot has only 100 feet of frontage on East Market Street, PennDOT standards limit driveway spacing, and outreach to neighboring property owners (firehouse shops, Home Depot, Verizon, York Container) to secure an easement for a second access either produced declines or no responses. Ward said the team had made repeated outreach attempts and believed they had exhausted reasonable options to secure cross‑access easements.

Engineering staff confirmed the PennDOT driveway spacing rules would prevent two driveways of the same use so close together on a single lot. The Fire Chief cautioned that once the proposed buildings are constructed, passageways could be very narrow and could make egress and ingress difficult for fire apparatus and EMS; he said backing a fire truck out onto East Market Street might be required in some scenarios. Applicant engineers and the developer said they included internal circulation measures and turning exhibits intended to allow emergency vehicles to maneuver on site, but acknowledged mutual‑aid apparatus may vary in size and that real‑world turning radii sometimes differ from plan calculations.

After discussion, a supervisor moved to approve the seven requested waivers and to recommend plan approval for LD2024‑0002 subject to four conditions listed in the agenda; the motions were seconded and approved by voice vote. The applicant thanked staff and the board for working through the issues.