On Tuesday of next week, the Warriors Mark supervisors are set to consider a zoning ordinance for the second straight month.
The supervisors advertised the ordinance in the Feb. 19 edition of The Daily Herald after making revisions to a version which was considered at a meeting earlier this month.
During that meeting, supervisors took public comment during a hearing on the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance. Several people offered their thoughts and asked questions of the supervisors, its solicitor, engineer and a consultant which worked on the zoning ordinance.
Dozens of people attended the Feb. 1 meeting which required it to be moved to a larger room.
Residents raised concerns about development and property rights. Members and an attorney representing Save Our Streams, Inc., a non-profit group concerned with the environment were at the meeting. An attorney and other representatives for developer John Gilliland were also there.
Representatives of the Huntingdon county and township planning boards were also there.
County and township planners had reviewed the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance and its many revisions during the last year and offered written comments back to the supervisors.
Gilliland attorney Tom Scott cautioned supervisors about wording in the ordinance which would restrict land development or its sale. He expressed concern the township was headed into unknown territory and specifically asked if certain parts of the zoning ordinance covering development were backed up by court decisions.
After the hearing, the supervisors voted to adopt the comprehensive plan update.
However, when it came to the zoning ordinance, Supervisor Rodney Marshall suggested changes be made to the township’s zoning map before the board would take a vote.
The other supervisors also offered suggestions or considered the proposed changes. Ultimately, it was decided to postpone any action on the zoning ordinance until the changes could be made and the ordinance readvertised.
The public notice regarding the ordinance listed three revisions as follows:
• land known as the Ben Reed Farm located south of State Route 550 near the Village of Warriors Mark was removed from the Agriculture and Resource Protection District to include land north of the old railroad bed in the Residential district and land south of the old railroad bed in the Rural Residential District;
• land known as the Tumble Hill development located along Burket Road was removed from the Agriculture and Resource Protection District and moved to the Rural Residential District and
• some land along Ridge Road north of Warriors Mark Path was removed from the Rural Residential District to the Agriculture and Resources Protection District. (Note: the revisions listed above are a slight paraphrasing of the actual wording in the Feb. 19 public notice.)
After the Feb. 1 meeting, Warriors Mark Chairman Stewart Neff said, “I think it was appropriate to make the adjustments. These decisions aren’t made on our personal likes and dislikes. It’s based on a survey of what’s best for the community, what’s legal, our engineer’s experience and knowledge and work done by a consultant.
“Putting that all together, a decision is made,” said Neff.
The Feb. 19 public notice said the zoning ordinance remains the same as the one considered on Feb. 1 other than the three revisions. The supervisors will take additional public comment prior to any action on the ordinance Tuesday.
Ahead of the meeting, an advertisement appears in today’s edition of The Daily Herald with the names of almost three dozen people. The ad is titled “Day of Decision for Warriors Mark.”
The ad expresses concerns about the possibility of a sewage treatment plant, a proposed “253-unit rental mobile home park” and the potential for pollution in ground water and streams due to development.
A similar ad ran last month ahead of the Feb. 1 meeting.
The Tuesday, March 1 meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Warriors Mark-Franklin Fire Hall.
