Planning Commission asks supervisors to consider setback modification for Penn Home & Farm subdivision

The Salem Township Planning Commission reviewed the Penn Home & Farm Plan of Lots and voted to accept the application as complete at its Jan. 7 meeting, but commissioners identified several informational and drafting deficiencies that must be corrected before final recommendation.

Commissioners noted a missing tax‑map parcel number on page two of the application and missing post‑development acreage totals. The Commission also flagged a typographical error in the "after subdivision" acreage for tax parcel 57‑12‑00‑0‑021: it should read 10.3 acres, not 10.03. The board instructed staff to ensure the owners' names and correct addresses appear and to verify the Delmont zip code is 15626.

Because the plan shows a 25‑foot setback in the Garden Court Plan of Lots but the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance requires a 30‑foot setback, the Commission voted to recommend that the applicant submit a written modification request to the Board of Supervisors for consideration at the Supervisors' Jan. 21 meeting so the issue can be resolved before the Commission's February meeting. Solicitor Ryan Thomas advised that the setback cannot be grandfathered automatically and that any modification should be memorialized on the plan if approved.

Other required items include obtaining a driveway permit for Mark Drive access and updating the Owner Certification and plan revision date and number. Mrs. Wineman, an adjoining property owner, asked that a vacated 25‑foot portion of a prior 50‑foot roadway be recognized as a separate deed interest; the Commission directed that the plan note must reference Ordinance 02‑2025 and the Recorder of Deeds instrument number.