Douglass Planning Agency recommends denying variance for 119 Pinehurst Way pool

The Douglass Township Planning Agency on Sept. 11 recommended that the zoning hearing board deny a building-coverage variance sought by the owner of 119 Pinehurst Way to install an above-ground pool and decking.

Agency members noted the property is a nonconforming 0.66-acre lot that allows 2,896 square feet of building coverage. Staff reported existing coverage of 4,988 square feet — 2,092 square feet over the allowed maximum — and that the applicant is seeking an additional 517 square feet for the pool and decking. The applicant said a pool previously existed on the site and that they did not want to remove an extended paved driveway to reduce coverage.

Planning members, including Charles Rick and Joe Richardson, argued the agency should remain consistent with a recently updated zoning ordinance that was revised in part to address recurring pool variance requests. Rick said the agency had spent 18 months revising coverage rules and that granting additional coverage would undercut those changes; Richardson raised concerns about increased water runoff from higher impervious coverage. A motion to not recommend the variance was made by Joe Richardson and seconded by Charles Rick and passed unanimously among members present (Richardson-Aye, Rick-Aye, Heydt-Aye, Reitz-Aye, Carpenter-Aye, Gisinger-Doran-Aye).

The recommendation from the planning agency is advisory; the Zoning Hearing Board is scheduled to hear the variance application on Sept. 22, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. The applicant may present their case at that hearing and the board will issue a final decision.