Some Hilltown locals believe an upcoming hearing on a proposed age-restricted housing community could set the precedent for how residential development plays out in the township for years to come.
That’s why members of Hilltown Friends, a group of concerned citizens, are urging fellow township residents to attend the planned Sept. 8 hearing at 6 p.m. at the municipal building at 13 West Creamery Road.
It’s then that representatives for Lennar Construction are expected to make their case for why Hilltown’s Board of Supervisors should grant the Miami, Fla.-headquartered developer changes to local zoning that would allow for the construction of a 55-and-older residential development in the area of Swartley Road and Route 309.
Lennar proposals have put forward building about 174 units in a planned community that’s been named the Venue. A nonbinding recommendation from Hilltown’s Planning Commission is that the number of units should be lowered to 150.
Both of those totals exceed what current zoning allows and represent far too dense housing on land that is zoned for rural residential development, said Dale Ott, a leader with Hilltown Friends.
“The applicant is attempting to create over four times the housing units than what’s allowed,” Ott told the Herald. “It’s an aggressive, overreaching approach.”
Ott said Hilltown Friends’ position is clear: Supervisors should deny the request for zoning changes and only allow development that meets current zoning ordinance specifications.
Granting changes that allow for the much denser development would “open the door for other developers to do the same,” Ott said. “The applicant already has the ability to develop the property by-right. They are just trying to increase the density to increase their profits.”
Beyond being concerned about setting an undesirable precedent on development, Hilltown Friends is also worried the Venue could cause road-clogging traffic, excessive stormwater runoff that leads to flooding, environmental hazards, intrusive lighting, the need to hire more police officers, and decreased property values for current residents who live near the development.
Scheduled hearings in July on the Venue were postponed, in part because the developer requested more time to potentially modify plans. As of this writing, new/updated plans had not been submitted to the township.
In a 4-1 vote on June 20, the Hilltown Planning Commission recommended that supervisors grant Lennar’s desired zoning relief, provided certain conditions are met. Those include the suggestion to lessen density to 150 units.
Still, it’s ultimately up to the three-person board of supervisors on what, if any, zoning relief Lennar might receive.
To actually build, the developer would have to go through a land development approval process, in which fully-engineered plans would be reviewed by supervisors, township staff and other agencies. Lennar would need land development approval from supervisors. That would be in addition to any zoning relief that might be granted.
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