301 & 304 Stony Run Road
Shantz Properties
What is Being Proposed?
Pulte Homes is proposing to add 93 homes on the 51.2-acre parcel at 301 Stony Run Road (SRR) and is offering to preserve the 20.9-acre parcel located at 304 SRR (located between the Windgate subdivisions). The issue is 301 is zoned Professional Office/Research District or PO, and this district does not allow residential use by right, special exception, or conditional use.
What does this mean? It means the applicant would need the BOS to approve a zoning change. Once again, a developer is approaching the township with a high-density (home sites are 0.18 acres) Sketch Plan that requires a zoning change...in this case from PO to Moderate Density Residential (MR). In exchange, they will preserve some portion of 304 and add a walking trail and other recreational amenities including a tot lot and pickelball courts.
This proposal would bring the total number of new homes in this part of the township to ~650 in an area that is less than 0.75 square miles. The cumulative strain on our roads and the Stony Run Watershed will be significant. The development of this parcel will cost existing residents municipal and school taxes while forfeiting a parcel of land that is supposed to generate revenue. A double whammy for taxpayers!
But, and we can't make this any clearer, the township is under no obligation to approve a zoning change. They can simply say "no".
What's more the applicant is proposing public sewer and public water at 301 SRR, however, this parcel is not included in the township's Act 537 Sewerage Plan and capacity does not exist at the Veterans Center plant. Like a zoning change, amending the Act 537 Plan requires approval by the BOS.
The applicant's rationale for adding 93 homes on 301 is that it provides a better transition between the 366 homes planned for Jones Motor and the Windgate subdivisions. Just picture it...a sea of almost 460 homes stretching from 724 to SRR.
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In reality, 304 SRR is not only the smaller of the two lots by 30 acres, but it also contains the Stony Run Stream and floodplains. Thus, land development at 304 (read: profit) is significantly hindered, making the 50-acre parcel the applicant's target for land development.
The parcel at 301 is not without its environmental issues. The review letter from the township engineer states that the Western portion of the parcel for development contains a significant amount of Woodlands that would be disturbed by the approximate placing of 23 of the 93 homes. This is a HUGE concern.
Pulte Homes Attends December 2023 Planning Commission (PC) Meeting:
The applicant attended the December PC Meeting to discuss the Sketch Plan. Immediately, the PC said there was no directive from the BOS to consider the required zoning change. They wanted more details and the opportunity to speak with the BOS. Their issue was this plan is completely hypothetical.
Eventually, they allowed the applicant to provide a high-level overview of the Sketch Plan and then opened the meeting for public comment.
The comments were in favor of no zoning change. There were many great points made in support of this position, including all those listed above. The PC plans to include the public comment themes in a letter to the BOS. They did not make a recommendation as this was an informal sketch plan and it's an invalid plan at that.
At this point, this plan is D.O.A. until the BOS weighs in on the zoning change. We'll need everyone to attend the meeting when this item is on the agenda and ask our Supervisors to deny the application. That is the public process. Stay tuned!
Access the site plan and review letters from the township's professional staff to learn more.