The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors spent the bulk of its meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 2, discussing a developer’s request to amend the township’s zoning code.
Michael Pia Jr. of Walnut Street Development Partners appeared with his attorney, J. Charles Gerbron Jr., as well as John D. Snook, a senior advisor for the Brandywine Conservancy. Pia plans to develop a 16.6-acre tract with a mix of townhomes and apartments. The property, which is zoned BP (business park), is on North Walnut Street and abuts Anson B. Nixon Park and the Exelon property.
The township’s current zoning permits apartments, but not combined with other mixed-use dwellings, such as townhomes, which is why Pia is seeking to have them permitted as a conditional use. He said the county and township’s planning commissions and the conservancy had all approved the proposed change with some minor revisions.
After more than an hour of discussion, Supervisors’ Chairman Scudder G. Stevens and Supervisor Richard L. Leff both voted to approve the proposed ordinance with the understanding that it would be modified to include the recommended changes – as well as issues that have not yet surfaced – at a later date. Supervisor Robert A. Hammaker did not attend the meeting.
Stevens said he saw no reason to delay Pia while the township works on the nuances of the ordinance. Pia said he hoped to submit a preliminary sketch plan within the next few weeks.
In other business, the supervisors said that although “the acquisition of real estate” appeared on the meeting’s agenda, that item was not yet ready. At their Nov. 18 meeting, the supervisors voted to authorize Township Manager Lisa M. Moore to work with the township solicitor to acquire the unspecified property; discussing further details until the sale was finalized could jeopardize the negotiations, they said.
David Lewis, a member of the Kennett Township Environmental Advisory Committee, questioned township solicitor David Sander about how residents could establish legal standing for upcoming development proposals so they will receive all notifications and maximize their right to object.
Sander said residents must be “an aggrieved party,” which means the development would have a direct, substantial, adverse effect on them. He pointed out that neighbors who would be affected by traffic or drainage issues would qualify whereas someone on the other side of the township likely would not.
At the end of the meeting, Stevens reminded residents of upcoming changes in the township’s meeting schedules. In 2016, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors will continue to meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month, but now both meetings will now take place at 7 p.m. in the township meeting room.
The Kennett Township Planning Commission will now meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the township meeting room and will hold a work session on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m., as needed.
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