Blair Township tables Dollar General plan, rejects sidewalk-waiver request

The Blair Township Board of Supervisors on July 9 tabled preliminary plans for a proposed Dollar General store at 16474 Dunnings Highway and rejected a request to waive sidewalk requirements.

The developer, represented by Larson Design Group, asked to reduce required parking from 54 spaces to 33 and sought a waiver of the Township sidewalk ordinance (Ordinance §344‑21). Eric Banks, representing Stiffler McGraw and reporting the Blair Township Planning Commission’s recommendation, said the commission recommended tabling the parking‑waiver request and noted outstanding engineering comments. Chairman Paul Amigh emphasized the Land Development Ordinance’s requirement for sidewalks and said a new retail store would likely increase pedestrian traffic in the area.

Chairman Amigh moved to table the land‑development plan; the motion passed with two yes votes. The board also voted to table the parking‑waiver request and to reject the requested waiver of the sidewalk requirement. All three votes were recorded as passing with two yes votes.

Why it matters: Denying the sidewalk waiver keeps the Township’s pedestrian and connectivity standards in force for this parcel, which Township officials said is likely to face increased foot traffic if a convenience retailer is built. Planning and engineering concerns will need to be addressed before the application is resubmitted.

What happened next: The township will not act further on the Dollar General application until the developer returns with revised plans that respond to the Planning Commission and engineer comments. The Board’s votes were procedural (tabling and waiver denial); no final land‑development approval was granted.