Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developer seeks input on rezoning 77-acre Musser Farm; board asks for concept options
Summary
Kinsley Properties presented a preliminary plan to rezone a 77-acre Musser Farm parcel from low-density residential to industrial; residents and supervisors raised concerns about truck traffic, buffering, sewer/school capacity and alignment with the comprehensive plan. Kinsley will return with visual concepts.
Kinsley Properties representatives on April 14 asked the East Manchester Township Board of Supervisors to consider rezoning the Musser Farm, a 77-acre parcel with an adjacent 4.5-acre transition lot, from low-density residential to an industrial zoning district.
“We're here tonight really just for an informal discussion with the board to gain some feedback regarding the future of the Musser farm,” said Stacy May (as stated on the record), a Kinsley representative. She said industrial zoning would align the tract with surrounding industrial development and a proposed county collector road and would keep the smaller parcel zoned for medium-density residential as a buffer.
Board members and residents pressed for more detail. A local resident who identified himself as a civil engineer said the current zoning pattern—medium-density (R2) adjacent to low-density (R1) and then industrial—“makes no sense” and recommended matching zoning to adjacent parcels or creating a transition zone. Residents and supervisors raised potential impacts including increased truck traffic, noise, and pressure on schools and sewer systems.
Planning staff noted standard buffering requirements and suggested following the existing stream/zoning boundary in parts of the site. Kinsley acknowledged those concerns and told the board the proposal at this stage was conceptual, not a formal application.
Kinsley representatives said the main parcel is roughly 77 acres with a smaller roughly 4.5-acre parcel intended as a transitional RM zone; they emphasized that designs could include office or lower-profile industrial uses rather than large warehouses.
Several supervisors asked the developer to present multiple high-level concept options showing possible boundaries, transition zones and visualizations before any formal rezoning submittal. “Maybe we can go back and put together some very high-level concept ideas that can help you visualize,” a Kinsley representative said.
Next steps: Kinsley agreed to prepare concept diagrams and return for further discussion; no formal zoning application or vote occurred at the meeting.
