Peters Township planners table Turkeyfoot Road preliminary subdivision after questions on traffic, stormwater and access

A Peters Township Planning Commission on April 9 tabled consideration of a preliminary subdivision and land development plan for a 13-acre portion of a 30-acre parcel on Turkeyfoot Road after extended review and public comment.

Staff member Mark told the commission the proposal would create 15 single-family lots—11 served by a proposed new public road and four fronting Mullen Road—on land currently used for agriculture and zoned low-density residential. Lot sizes range from just over a half-acre to about 1.72 acres, with an overall density of about 1.13 units per acre. Setbacks described by staff were 50 feet front, 15 feet side and 40 feet rear. The plan shows a 25-foot buffer where the development adjoins the Tracks farm, and applicant materials propose either on-site open space or a fee in lieu of the required 1.05 acres of open space.

The applicant’s representative, Alberta Harken of Gateway Engineers, said the buffer will be planted with evergreens and shrubs and that grading and an earthwork balance are expected: "this buffer is going to screen the entire farm from the residential development," she said. Harken also explained the scheme of yard drains and two stormwater ponds intended to manage runoff and said stormwater facilities are shown with access easements on individual lots.

Commissioners and consultants flagged several outstanding technical items. Township traffic review staff (TPD) and the applicant’s traffic consultant reported higher-than-posted driving speeds on nearby roads—85th-percentile speeds measured at roughly the mid-30s to low-40s mph—leading to site-distance concerns for some proposed driveways. Mark said TPD asked the applicant’s engineer for additional sight‑distance calculations and recommended a meeting to resolve specifics. The applicant provided one measured driveway sight-distance that passed by approximately 8 feet but staff said other driveways require further verification.

Board members also raised concerns about earthwork and slope stability: the applicant described up-to 30–40-foot cut slopes on upper lots and substantial fill on lower lots, and the commission noted that geotechnical and infiltration testing—important for final stormwater design—had not yet been submitted. Staff and consultants said those analyses are typically completed during final engineering but warned that infiltration results could necessitate changes to lot layout.

Commissioners discussed the township’s interconnection policy, which encourages secondary connections to adjoining properties. Staff said the policy is not a regulation and that the applicant is expected to request relief from extending the cul‑de‑sac to the property boundary; several commissioners said they wanted the fire chief’s input on whether a single access point meets safety expectations for the planned lot count.

Residents who spoke raised traffic and sanitation questions. Dan Weaver (Brookwood Road) suggested further traffic study at the nearby Sugar Camp/Turkeyfoot intersection and asked whether sanitary sewer would route to Peters Creek Sanitary Authority; staff said the project will be served by Peters Creek and that a mainline extension along Turkeyfoot is anticipated.

Because of the outstanding sight‑distance work, missing geotechnical/infiltration reports, remaining review comments from LSSE and TPD, and unresolved questions about easement maintenance and the interconnection policy, a commissioner moved to table the preliminary plan pending further analysis; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will continue to coordinate outstanding technical reviews (traffic, LSSE, geotechnical/infiltration) with the applicant; the commission did not make a recommendation to council at this meeting.