Residents push back on 49‑lot ‘Harmony Acres’ sketch plan over traffic, density and character

Developer SNA Homes presented a sketch plan to the Harris Township Board of Supervisors for a roughly 17‑acre tract between Shingletown Road and Outer Drive that would create 49 single‑family lots, two stormwater basins and about 4 acres of parkland.

The board opened the plan for informal comment after staff explained the sketch‑plan is nonbinding and that any formal submission would be reviewed against the township’s R‑1 zoning, the quarter‑overlay district rules and the subdivision and land development ordinance. Staff said they would recommend approval only if a formal plan complies with applicable regulations.

Bob Poole, principal at SNA Homes, told the board the company intends to meet required stormwater and traffic‑study conditions and to preserve perimeter trees where practicable. He said proposed house prices would generally fall in the high $500,000s to around $600,000 and that reducing lot count materially raises per‑lot infrastructure costs, which would push prices up.

Neighbors strongly contested the sketch’s density and access plan. Multiple residents who live on Outer Drive, in Harris Acres and in Fairfield said 49 quarter‑acre lots would be incompatible with the existinglarger‑lot neighborhood, increase noise (lawn equipment, trucks), and produce an extra estimated 250 daily vehicle trips through residential streets. Several speakers asked the board and developer to pursue fewer homes (residents proposed ~20–30 lots), greater lot sizes, or conservation of the woodland.

Cyclists and runners urged the traffic study to include pedestrian and bicycle safety; parents and retirees highlighted the area’s lack of sidewalks and street lighting. Several residents asked the township to pursue a secondary access directly to Route 45 to reduce cut‑through traffic on local streets, though staff noted the quarter‑overlay regulations generally prohibit direct access to arterial Route 45 for this parcel.

Tom Jacobs, SNA Homes’ land operations director, said the company typically includes street trees and intends to conserve or reestablish tree cover where feasible; he also explained the developer’s option to provide money in lieu of parkland if the board prefers. Residents replied that many existing perimeter trees are mature and degraded and that new buffer plantings (for example, fast‑growing evergreens) may be necessary to create an effective screen.

Staff and board members encouraged continued dialogue between SNA Homes and neighborhood groups, including exploring alternatives such as reduced lot counts, pulled‑back building envelopes, expanded buffers and additional pedestrian amenities. No formal application or vote on the sketch plan occurred; board members emphasized the next step would be a formal plan submission and staff review under the township’s ordinances.

What happens next: the developer may submit a formal subdivision/land‑development application; at that time staff will conduct ordinance compliance reviews, require a traffic impact study and stormwater plans, and return a recommendation to the board. The township reiterated that legally it must follow the adopted R‑1 standards and subdivision regulations when reviewing any formal plan.