Planning commission recommends conditional approval of Eichinger subdivision

The Salem Township Planning Commission voted Dec. 3 to recommend approval of a plan to subdivide one lot from tax map parcel 57-13-00-0-087, subject to a set of technical corrections and environmental approvals. The motion, made by John Durco and seconded by Paul Holleran, passed unanimously.

The application, presented with property owner Shane Eichinger and prospective buyer Russell Richardson in attendance, was initially reviewed as incomplete because the planning module was unsigned and the developer unclear. Commission minutes record that the owner later signed the planning module and the Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) signed on Nov. 7, 2025, after which the Commission accepted the application as complete. The proposal would create a new Lot 1 that contains an existing abandoned house to be razed and would rely on an on-lot absorption area and a private water well.

Commissioners listed multiple conditions that must appear on the plan before the Board of Supervisors considers it: show the existing or proposed driveway location; correct the spelling of a neighboring parcel owner; indicate the locations of the existing water well and septic system for Lot 1; show the stream crossing Lot 1 and state whether any part of the lot lies in a designated flood area; add the state road identification number for Beaver Run Road; define primary and secondary absorption areas between specified test pits and remove extraneous test pits; and, if required by the DEP, show isolation distances for a drip irrigation system from any on-lot water well. The Commission also required a note on the plan stating that the existing home on Lot 1 must be razed prior to construction and connection of any new drip irrigation system.

Applicant Russell Richardson told the Commission that consultants "said if you can't do a drip irrigation system, you have to have a backup sandmound to do a subdivision," and that a sanitary easement onto the Eichinger property might be needed to allow sandmound testing. Solicitor Gary Falatovich advised that if the applicant installs a drip irrigation system, a previously discussed easement reference could be removed from the plan. The minutes record that DEP approval is required for any new sanitary sewer facilities.

The Commission's recommendation is a referral to the Board of Supervisors with the listed contingencies; the minutes show the panel voted in favor and formally recorded the required amendments and certifications to be completed before further action.