The way has been cleared for the Kinberton Market in Nockamixon Township.
Confident that the conditions required by the original land development plan they approved last April would be met within the next six months, the Nockamixon Township Board of Supervisors has approved an amendment to the plan, that will allow for the issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy (T.C.O.) for the new moderate-size supermarket.
There is also an accompanying restaurant, in the Harrow Station development at the intersection of Routes 611 and 412.
The amendment, approved at the Feb. 21 public board of supervisors meeting by a 3-0-1 vote, and to be finalized at the board’s March 7 work session.
The Kimberton grocery store, now on Durham Road in Ottsville, next to the Brig O’Doon Coffee House, hopes to complete moving its operations to the site as soon as mid-March, with the reopening of the Serafina Restaurant, in a new building at the site, expected as soon as a week or two before that.
During discussion of the amendment proposal, Township Manager Keith DeLuca and township building code and zoning official James Kopchak of Keystone Municipal Services were sharply critical of developer Glenn Neebe’s lack of completion of various items from the “punchlist’ from the development plan, while construction has proceeded toward an imminent opening.
In particular, conditions needed to gain a permit from PennDOT, related to the Route 412 access to the site, and noted as fundamental to the plan approval, had not yet been accomplished. Another key concern was the lack of a presentation on overall traffic flow management, which includes a second access off Route 611 via Tower Road, into the already existing Harrow Station that features the Turkey Hill.
Neebe assured all that he would comply with all the requirements, and agreed to have progress appear as an agenda item for the next few supervisors meetings.
Upon leaving the meeting room for an executive session, Kopchak said he did not think the PennDOT permit would be a problem, with needed conditions expected to be met well within the six months allowed by the T.C.O., which cannot be extended.
Regarding the traffic concerns, the owner of the new supermarket, which officials had noted was “not a Wegman’s or a Giant,” reported his average number of shoppers per hour was 29, with a high level of 50. The new 11,000 sq. ft. building has an adjacent parking lot with 90 spaces. During the discussion, Township Engineer Steve Baluh of C. Robert Wynn Associates, said traffic management was not a concern.
Also at the Feb. 21 meeting, supervisors urged residents of Old Schoolhouse Way to meet as soon as possible with township officials, regarding a draft maintenance agreement that has been proposed as an alternative to eminent domain action to change their private road to a public road. They noted that eminent domain was still on the table as a possible method. The residents have had difficulty scheduling a mutually acceptable time with the officials, and supervisors urged setting a date regardless.
