CHADDS
FORD TOWNSHIP
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission of Chadds Ford Township met
at Township Hall on Wednesday, August 10, 2005.
Present were Chairman William J. Taylor, Vice-Chairman Maurice Todd,
members Fred Reiter and Paul Vernon.
Also in attendance were Kevin Matson, EIT, for James C. Kelly, Township
Engineer and Maryann D. Furlong, Acting Planning Commission Secretary.
There was no public comment.
Mr. Matson noted that Mr. Nagorny’s name was
misspelled in several places. Mrs.
Furlong will make the necessary corrections.
Upon motion and second (Todd, Taylor) the minutes of
the July 13, 2005 Planning Commission meeting were unanimously approved.
Upon motion and second (Todd, Vernon) the minutes of
the July 27, 2005 Planning Commission meeting were unanimously approved.
MARSHALL
ESTATES
Luren D. Dickinson, developer of
Marshall Estates, a proposed five-lot subdivision on Marshall Road, distributed
a written summary of responses to comments made by Kelly Engineers in a review
letter dated August 9, 2005. Mr.
Dickinson was seeking final approval for the plan.
The following comments were
discussed:
Comment 24. This comment pertains to the Township’s
ordinance regulating flow in the Chester Creek watershed. Post development peak discharge must be no
greater than 50% of the pre-developed peak discharges. Mr. Matson stated that after discussion with
the applicant’s engineer this issue has been resolved and the waiver request
has been removed from the plan.
Comment 28. Fencing and/or suitable vegetation screening
must be provided around all detention/retention basins unless the Board of
Supervisors determines that such screening is not necessary.
Mr. Matson reviewed the three waiver requests:
1.
A waiver from ordinance 104-406.Q.11 requiring that the minimum basin
freeboard shall be two feet. Mr.
Matson would favor granting this waiver to minimize impact to the environment.
Planning Commission
August
10, 2005
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2.
A waiver from ordinance 104-406,Q.15 requiring that the minimum width
of a detention basin berm shall be 10 feet.
Mr. Matson agreed that 5 feet is acceptable.
3.
A waiver from ordinance 104-406.R.5 requiring that fencing or suitable
vegetation screening be provided around all detention/retention basins. After discussion, Mr. Dickinson agreed to
install a split rail fence around the single retention pond.
An additional waiver request
had been resolved and was removed from the plan.
Mr. Dickinson reported on the current status of
negotiations with Springhill Farm Waste Water Treatment plant to allow the new
homes to tie in. Mr. Dickinson had
numerous conversations with Springhill’s legal representative Adam Marcus
regarding the complexity of gaining approval from the WWTP Board and all six
adjoining homeowners. Mr. Dickinson
asked to proceed with the subdivision application providing on site sewage,
with an agreement to pursue public sewage in the future. Additionally, he would be amenable to
containing such a clause in the Developer’s Agreement.
Mr. Todd commented that the plan was
basically in compliance with Township ordinances and could proceed with on site
sewage. Mr. Todd asked that an
acknowledgment of intent to proceed with public sewage be made either on the
plan or in the Developer’s Agreement.
Mr. Vernon concurred. Mr. Reiter
was satisfied as long as easements are in place.
Mr. Todd thought it might be
necessary to obtain the Township Solicitor’s opinion as to whether or not the
plan has been affected by the Route One Overlay Ordinance. Mr. Matson stated that the exclusion of easement
area initially brought gross area calculations under five acres, but the
easement area had been redrafted, thus coming into compliance. The easement for the sanitary sewer was not
netted out of the original calculations, thus once again bringing the area
under five acres. Mr. Todd didn’t think
it proper to penalize the applicant for doing something the Township had asked
for. Mr. Matson stated that if the
public sewer easement were withdrawn from the plan it would be in
compliance. Mr. Vernon would like to
have the opinion of the Township Solicitor regarding Ordinance 110.
Mr. Dickinson asked for Planning
Commission’s recommendation of approval of the subdivision plan with on site
systems and containing no easements for public sewers. Mr. Todd objected to the fact that the latest
plans were not accurate in that they contain the sanitary sewer easement. Mr. Dickinson agreed to provide revised plans
removing the sewer easement ten days prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting.
Upon motion and second (Todd, Vernon), Planning
Commission members recommended final approval of the Marshall Estates
subdivision application conditioned upon the removal of the sanitary sewer
easement from the plan and resolution of all other outstanding comments in
Kelly Engineers review letter of August 9, 2005, including waiver requests to
ordinance 104-406.Q.11 and 104-406.Q.15 and the resolution of waiver request to
ordinance 104.406.R.5 with applicant agreeing to install a split rail fence
around the one retention pond.
Planning Commission members
adjourned the formal hearing at 8:56 PM and remained to discuss Open Space
matters.
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August
10, 2005
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Respectfully
submitted,
MARYANN
D. FURLONG
Acting
Planning Commission Secretary