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Landowners balk at new zoning district: Some with property along Route 23 appear at a Caernarvon Township meeting to object to the proposed creation...(Reading Eagle (PA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 29--Several landowners are balking at a proposal by the Caernarvon Township Planning Commission to restrict development along a section of Route 23 across from Wal-Mart. The planners are considering recommending the creation of a light commercial zoning district. The intent is to minimize traffic along a half-mile stretch of Route 23 between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Twin Valley Road. The area's current zoning allows commercial and industrial development. Under a more restrictive light commercial zoning, only office buildings could be larger than 5,000 square feet. And minimum lot sizes would depend on the proposed use and the property's parking and setback requirements. Among the landowners speaking at the meeting Thursday was Edward H. Cone, one of about a dozen property owners who would be affected by the zoning change. "Quite frankly, you're making it quite prohibitive to do anything," said Cone, who owns about seven acres. No property owner in the district spoke in favor of the planners' proposal. "Retail use, for better or for worse, is what we believe is economically viable," said George T. Cook, an attorney representing Vernon K. Beiler and Betty J. Beiler. The Beilers own 58 acres in the proposed district -- more than half the total -- including Morgantown airport and a farm. They have owned the land since 1967. Chance J. Worthington, the Beilers' son-in-law, said there's an excess of empty offi ce space in the township and there's no need for more. Cook said his clients would like the township to consider allowing 15,000 square feet for all uses and allowing the township supervisors to conditionally approve larger projects. Planning commission Chairman Ken Sweitzer said the township is trying to move away from commercial development. He said the township is concerned about traffi c along Route 23. The state road is at the intersection of three Pennsylvania Department of Transportation districts and getting the state to do work there has always been challenging, he said. The area once prohibited all commercial development, Sweitzer said. That changed several years ago, when Wal-Mart was built. No decision was made Thursday and the planning commission agreed to wait and review results a traffic study along Route 23. Those results, which will examine weekday, night and weekend traffic patterns, are expected by the end of September. Contact reporter Greta Cuyler at 610-371-5042 or [email protected]. To see more of the Reading Eagle, or to subscribe, go to http://www.readingeagle.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Reading Eagle, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |