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Township hears revised townhome plan for Lower Pike overlay; staff recommends awaiting conditional-use review
Summary
At a Dec. 9 hearing on Ordinance 553, the applicant revised a townhome plan (reducing units to 49, changing clusters to carriage‑style) and neighbors raised traffic, parking and tree‑clearing concerns; township staff recommended deferring action until a conditional‑use/land‑development application is submitted.
The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on Ordinance 553, which would extend the Lower Pike overlay district and amend parking and dimensional rules for prospective townhouse development. Applicants described changes made after neighbor outreach, including reducing the unit count (from a prior 52 to 49) and shifting to two‑ and three‑unit carriage home clusters to create a less dense, more residential scale.
Applicant Pete Penna said the plan incorporated neighbor requests for green space, berms, fencing and sidewalks and emphasized the proposal currently meets the township’s parking requirements, with optional overflow parking left as reserved green space that could be paved later if needed. “We changed it to two and three unit carriage home clusters,” Penna told the board, adding the revised plan reduces impervious surface and increases green area.
Neighbors raised concerns about access to Bethlehem Pike and Cedar Hill Road, lack of sidewalks on adjacent streets, peak‑hour congestion, sight‑line safety, and preservation of existing trees in a triangular wooded area near the intersection. The township’s traffic consultant said a full traffic study and coordination with PennDOT would be required during the conditional‑use and land‑development phase and that PennDOT would decide any signalization or turn‑lane warrants.
Staff recommendation and outcome: Township staff recommended tabling final action on the ordinance until the applicant files a conditional‑use and land‑development application that will include engineering, a detailed traffic study and PennDOT coordination. The board heard the recommendation and did not adopt the ordinance at tonight’s meeting; subsequent reviews will include further public comment opportunities and technical reviews.
What to watch: If the applicant submits a conditional‑use/land‑development application, the township and PennDOT reviews will evaluate access geometry, whether turn lanes or signal changes are warranted, and whether the proposed realignment or preservation of the wooded triangle is feasible. Residents should expect formal engineering reports and additional hearings before any permits are issued.
