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A beautiful part of southeastern Pennsylvania Fans of the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies   August 12, 2003   CHARLESTOWN TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION GREAT VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL, 7:30 P.M. August 12, 2003 Present: Charlie Philips, Vice Chairman, Rick Reis, Wendy Leland, Michael Churchill, (arrived later), Surender Kohli, P.E., Tom Comitta (arrived later), Nanci Sarcinello, Linda Csete, Township Administrator, and those on the attached attendee list. The meeting was called to order at 7:50 p.m. Mr. Philips said there would be general discussion until a fourth member arrived to make a quorum. Discussion Minutes of July 8, 2003 Mr. Kohli said the Seibert subdivision application was incomplete and the minutes should reflect that it is considered a sketch plan submission at this time. Mrs. Csete had a comment on Mr. Petriello's statement made at the July 8, 2003 meeting and recorded in the minutes. She said she did not attend the meeting but read the statement when the draft minutes became available. In them, Mr. Petriello states she told him the Seibert submission had fulfilled all requirements. Mrs. Csete said she did speak to him the day he delivered the plans but did not make this statement. Mr. Philips said he did not attend the meeting but is listed as being present. Outdoor Partnership - Conditional Use Application for Construction in Steep Slopes in the LI-1 District, Yellow Springs Road & Phoenixville Pike Mr. Philips provided a brief description of the application that will result in the construction of 4 billboards along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The applicant's representative, Elizabeth Witmer, Esq. stated that the Conditional Use application was solely to seek approval for construction of access roads in steep slopes. The Court decided the question of permitting the billboard construction itself in 2001. (Mr. Churchill arrived at this time, forming a quorum of the Planning Commission.) Announcements There were no announcements. Approval of Minutes - July 8, 2003 Mrs. Leland moved to approve the July 8, 2003, meeting minutes pending the following corrections: Mr. Philips' name should be removed from the list of those present. The sentence "Mr. Kohli said this application should be considered as a sketch plan only" should be added to the beginning of the second paragraph under the Seibert subdivision review. Mr. Churchill seconded the motion. Mr. Philips called the vote, and all were in favor. Review of Applications Outdoor Partnership - Conditional Use Application for Construction in Steep Slopes in the LI-1 District, Yellow Springs Road & Phoenixville Pike Chuck Dobson, P.E., Elizabeth Witmer, Esq. and David Curry of Outdoor Partnership were present to address comments on Mr. Kohli's review letter dated August 12, 2003. Item #1 Mr. Philips indicated that the photographs were acceptable as submitted. Item #2 Mr. Kohli requires detailed construction information for erosion and sediment runoff to be shown on the plans and suggested the addition of a super silt fence to those items already listed in the plan notes, as well as more specifics on all run off controls. Mr. Dobson said a super silt fence will increase the steep slope disturbance (tree removal) which will need to be reviewed with the County Conservation District. Item #3 Mr. Kohli said the Township will need a copy of the Turnpike's approval of the tree clearing and billboard installation. The applicant received a list of requirements from the PTC that hasn't been copied to the Township. Impacts from tree removal must be addressed. Mr. Churchill asked what the total area of logging will be. Mr. Dobson pointed out the cross hatching on the plan but couldn't readily provide an area estimate. He agreed to provide the information in a narrative along with a quantification of the runoff after tree clearing. He noted there is no tree clearing on private property. (Mr. Comitta arrived at this time.) With regard to the structural design of the billboards, Ms. Witmer said they provided the plan from the manufacturer and that should be sufficient. Foundation computations will be made available prior to obtaining a building permit. Item #4 With regard to the discrepancy in the profile elevations as compared to the Plan view, Mr. Dobson agreed to adjust the profile elevations to follow the centerline. Mr. Kohli noted concern over downstream impact from the tree logging work, which will require heavy equipment on the steep stone access roads. He wants proof that the vehicles will be able to climb the slope. Mr. Dobson said a track machine can help pull them up. Ms. Witmer said the PTC required a bid package proposal and were provided with one from Knight Brothers. Mr. Reis asked if the logging will be done from the access road only or also from the Turnpike side. Mr. Dobson said this must be worked out with the PTC. Mr. Churchill asked for the life expectancy of the billboards and Mr. Curry said 100 years. Mr. Churchill asked for the nature of the easement to reach the right of way for maintenance, and Mr. Curry responded there will be a lease agreement. Item #5 thru 7 Not discussed further. Item #8 With regard to providing documentation regarding compliance with Zoning Ordinance section 1808, Ms. Witmer said they believe they already complied. Mr. Kohli disagreed, saying the Board of Supervisors will need a section by section response during the hearing process if not before. Item #9 Mr. Kohli said the Turnpike Commission must send a letter of approval with regard to the tree disturbance before the Township can act. Item #10 Ms. Witmer said the court set the location of the billboards and that the 20 foot setback is not at issue. Item #11 With regard to the height calculations, Mr. Dobson said he can demonstrate that the plan complies when the height is measured vertically. Item #12 Mr. Kohli said the information on the types of vehicles and equipment to be used in construction is acceptable. Item #13 Mr. Dobson said 13-a & 13-e had been previously discussed, and that he would comply with items 13-b, c & d. Item #14 Mr. Dobson said the permit applications have not been submitted yet to the PA D.E.P. Item #15 Mr. Dobson agreed to show a profile verifying that the 500 foot sight distance requirement for each billboard can be met. Ms. Sarcinello referred to Mr. Theurkauf's review letter dated July 21, 2003, which suggested that the proposed driveway be realigned to minimize impacts on steep slopes and that offsite visual impacts are addressed. It also suggests that the billboards be relocated to reduce the visual impacts. Ms. Witmer responded that this application is for constructing the access road in steep slopes and that she doesn't believe it will be visible from neighboring properties. The location of the billboards was determined by the Court. Resident Ginny Durkan, Blackberry Lane, asked when the billboard lighting mitigation can be addressed with Outdoor Partners. Ms. Witmer said this was part of the litigation that has already been decided. The lighting will illuminate only the billboards. She invited Mrs. Durkan to call either herself or Mr. Curry to discuss her concerns. Mrs. Durkan referred to a letter she received from the Turnpike Commission dated 6/24/03 which lists items the applicant must comply with before they will permit the billboards. Ms. Witmer said the submission has been made to the PTC but there's been no response yet. Mrs. Leland asked when construction would start, and Mr. Dobson responded whenever approval is given. Mrs. Leland asked the applicant to understand that the water handling issue is of great importance to the Commission. Mrs. Durkan asked what will happen to the billboards when the Turnpike expands. Ms. Witmer responded that they would have to buy the land, most likely through condemnation. The applicant will address the issues raised this evening and return to the Planning Commission on September 9th. (Mr. Churchill left the meeting at this time.) Comprehensive Plan Implementation Update Mr. Comitta noted that the Township received an extension for the completion of the implementation project to March 31, 2004. Discussion - Open Space Option Ordinance Mr. Philips said that Mr. Allen wished to revisit the previously approved ordinance draft for the open space option which would allow both the 80,000 square foot lot subdivision and the open space option by-right. He is asking whether only the open space option should be by-right and the other by conditional use, and suggests one more round of discussion on the question. Mr. Comitta gave some background on several townships that made this change. He suggested drafting standards of criteria by which an applicant would have to demonstrate that their plan has less impact than its alternative. He said Carol Stauffer, reviewer for the Visions Partnership Program, indicated the County looks favorably on this approach. Mr. Comitta said he'll draft some language for the September 9th meeting. Dr. Stewart, Union Hill Road, asked what the advantage of the open space option would be, and Mr. Philips said a developer gets approximately the same number of lots, but they are clustered on smaller lots between 1 and 1 1/4 acres, with a large open space to be preserved. It is particularly desirable when contiguous areas of open space can be joined together. Mr. Reis said it also decreases the amount of road surface and other infrastructure. SLDO Appendix Items Mr. Comitta suggested adding supporting information in the SLDO appendix that would give visual examples to applicants in areas such as key design elements and greenway guides as provided in his memo dated 8/12/03. This will be discussed further on September 9th. Devault Area Visioning Workshop Data Mr. Comitta circulated a list of the write-in comments received at the June 23rd Visioning Meeting on the Devault Area for the Commission's review. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Ordinance Mr. Comitta suggested that the Planning Commission members consider the following for the September 9th meeting: Transfer Areas: Should the sending area transfer only to the LI District, or should other districts such as Institutional, Residential-1 or the PRD's be considered as receiving areas? Conversion Factors: What technique should be used to determine equity? Should specific formulas be used with frequent updates, or should the marketplace dynamic determine the factors through the use of appraisals and the Supervisors' discretion? Adjournment Mr. Reis moved to adjourn the meeting, and Mrs. Leland seconded. Mr. Philips called the vote and all were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 P.M. The next meeting is scheduled for September 9, 2003 in Room 154 of the Great Valley Middle School. Respectfully Submitted, Linda M. Csete Recording Secretary Home      Site Overview      Contact Us Please report any problems with this site by clicking here. Site development, maintenance and funding by Township resident Jacob D. Merriwether. Hosting by PLH Worldgroup Communications, Inc.