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Planners flag parking, setback and utility gaps in proposed Schlemmer wedding venue
Summary
Salem Township planners recommended multiple changes to the Schlemmer land‑development plan for a proposed wedding venue, citing parking encroachment, setback violations and outstanding stormwater and water‑main approvals. The commission requested clearer site plans, public‑water verification and engineering approvals before supervisors act.
Salem Township Planning Commission members on March 4 recommended that the Schlemmer land‑development plan for a proposed wedding venue be revised to fix parking, setback and utility gaps before the board of supervisors considers approval.
The commission discussed a site plan submitted by owner Robert (Bob) Schlemmer and engineer Jason Beranek of Cenkner Engineering. Solicitor Ryan Thomas told the commission the parcel lies within an Agricultural Security Area but, after reviewing the Agricultural Area Security Law (3 P.S. §§ 901–915), the proposed development “does not conflict with the requirements for development in such an area.”
The commission’s central concern was that "the proposed parking lot appears to extend into the adjacent parcel," Solicitor Thomas said during the meeting. Thomas advised the entire development must remain inside a single parcel unless the applicant obtains a formal exception or lot consolidation. Commissioners also noted the proposed parking area encroaches into the side‑yard setback and that the plan as submitted lacked a clear parking exhibit showing number and size of spaces, the distance between rows, and internal circulation.
Commissioner John Wright pressed the applicant on parking‑space dimensions and the requested waiver. "To get a waiver you must demonstrate a hardship," Wright said, adding he did not see a necessity to waive standard parking dimensions and suggested reconfiguring the layout to add another row of spaces.
Schlemmer responded that the parking surface will be tar and chip in the future. "It will be tar & chipped in the future," Schlemmer said, describing the proposed surfacing for the gravel area.
The commission also asked for a legible site plan that shows: exterior tract boundaries prepared by a licensed surveyor; front building setback lines (40 feet off U.S. Route 22 and 30 feet off Hornock Road); 15‑foot side and rear setbacks; public‑water line identification; driveway permit documentation; and the dimensions and area of the proposed building. Township Engineer Doug Regola said the Stormwater Management Plan requires his final approval and that Westmoreland County Conservation District approval of erosion and sedimentation controls and any NPDES permitting remain outstanding.
Regola said the municipal water authority (MAWC) is working with the applicant to extend a water main along Route 22 and that a water‑availability letter and tap information from MAWC must be provided. Sewage Facilities Planning Component 2 approval was noted in the record as received; the township SEO and DEP approvals were reflected as satisfied in the materials.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously to make the listed recommendations and require the additional documentation and technical approvals before forwarding a final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
Next steps: the applicant must submit a revised, legible site plan addressing the commission’s checklist, obtain MAWC water‑availability documentation, secure stormwater and WCCD/NPDES approvals, and resolve parking/setback encroachments. The commission’s recommendations will accompany any future supervisor review.
