Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Paper Streets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board authorizes vacation of Hazel Street to allow tiny-house sewer connection
Summary
To enable a tiny-house sanitary sewer connection for a property owner, the board authorized vacating Hazel Street by agreement where possible, noting that some paper streets may have already reverted to adjacent owners by operation of law.
The Lower Paxton Township Board of Supervisors voted to authorize the township solicitor to pursue vacating specific paper streets, with Hazel Street singled out as the first priority to facilitate a sanitary sewer connection for a property owner, Roberta Moyer.
Solicitor Stennett told the board that some paper streets may have already reverted to neighboring property owners by operation of law, which can reduce costs for property owners seeking sewer service. He outlined three general options: (1) vacation by agreement with adjacent owners, (2) the public hearing and ordinance route, or (3) determining the street has already reverted and taking no municipal action. The board discussed using a vacation-by-agreement approach where feasible to avoid the expense and contested hearings that can accompany ordinances.
Supervisor proponents said approving the Hazel Street request will allow a resident who wants to build a tiny house to proceed without the much higher cost of installing sewer infrastructure across a public street. Several supervisors said they prefer to evaluate other paper streets case-by-case and requested a memo summarizing options and precedence.
The board adopted a motion limited to Hazel Street, authorizing the solicitor to pursue vacation options needed to permit the sewer connection.
