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Developer outlines warehouse addition, managed‑release stormwater plan for 892 Fernhill Road
Summary
An applicant presented plans for a 3,375 sq ft warehouse addition at 892 Fernhill Road, proposing restored detention, a managed‑release stormwater approach due to poor infiltration, added parking including an EV charger, and potential sidewalk and waiver requests; commissioners raised fire access and sidewalk‑connection concerns.
An applicant asked the West Goshen Township Planning Commission on June 9 to advance a preliminary land‑development plan for 892 Fernhill Road that would add a 3,375‑square‑foot warehouse extension, new parking and outdoor storage.
Justin Brewer, the project’s engineering representative, told the commission the proposal includes a 3,375 sq ft warehouse addition, roughly 7,560 sq ft of new paved area for parking and storage, two 14‑by‑60‑foot loading spaces and one proposed EV charging stall. He said the existing stormwater basin on the site has lost capacity to sediment and the plan reestablishes the original basin volume while adding a subsurface “managed‑release” system because site soils do not allow infiltration.
"This site does not have any good perk rates to provide the infiltration," Brewer said, describing the reason for the managed‑release concept and noting it is an accepted practice at the state level for sites with limiting soils.
Commissioners focused on three operational issues. First, fire and truck access: commissioners asked whether a fire truck could turn behind the building and whether delivery trucks could be accommodated. Brewer said deliveries typically arrive on smaller trailers whose loads are handled by forklifts and that, while a fire truck can reach the rear, it would not be able to turn around and would have to back out onto Fernhill Road.
Second, stormwater: Brewer said the managed‑release approach is designed both to provide water‑quality treatment and to reduce peak runoff rates from the added impervious area. Commissioners and staff noted that because the township’s ordinance prefers infiltration where feasible, the developer will need to pursue a waiver for the infiltration requirement and that the township consultant will review the proposed approach.
Third, sidewalks: commissioners observed that the township comprehensive plan recommends sidewalks on this stretch of Fernhill Road but that no adjacent sidewalk now exists. Staff and the applicant characterized any new curb‑cut sidewalk as an "orphan" connection unless adjacent properties or future development provide a continuous link; they said a waiver request is possible and that right‑of‑way and grade conditions will affect feasibility.
No public comments were offered on the preliminary application at the meeting. Staff said Carol Engineering had been asked to begin a technical review and would provide comments to the commission. The application remains under review; the commission did not vote to approve the development at this meeting and directed that technical issues — including fire‑apparatus maneuvering, stormwater waiver justification and sidewalk/ROW analysis — be resolved during the plan review process.
The commission’s next procedural step is staff and township‑consultant review; any formal waiver requests or preliminary/final plan actions will return to the commission for decision and recommendation to the board of supervisors.
