| Forks Action Committee |
| Homepage - Last Day of the Month |
| March 31, 2006 |
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The agenda for Board of Supervisors March 16th meeting did not appear to be particularly
exciting and only one of the newspapers sent a reporter. And, she got a phone call and left before
the meeting's "meat."
We learned that the new 4 way stop at the intersection of Arndt & Bushkill Roads is a major cause
for concern. Chief Dorney reported that until a week ago, officers were only giving warnings to
drivers who drove through the signs without stopping. PennDot wants to remove the flashing
warning signs and the police have begun issuing citations. In the first week of enforcement, 33
vehicles were stopped for not stopping. One of them was a school bus. Two drivers were arrested
for DUI, two more for drug violations, firearms were removed from yet another, and there were two
crashes with injuries! Dorney said that the situation there is serious and asked the Board to write to
PennDot to request street markings, in particular stop bars and reflective stop warnings.
After discussion it was agreed that Dorney will send a letter with the details of this first week of
enforcement to PennDot and markings and/or the authority to install them will be requested. The
cost of the improvements is estimated at $1000. Dorney also said that Township residents know
this is a very dangerous intersection and avoid it.
In other news, we learned:
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there...
and the Comments too. Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
exciting and only one of the newspapers sent a reporter. And, she got a phone call and left before
the meeting's "meat."
We learned that the new 4 way stop at the intersection of Arndt & Bushkill Roads is a major cause
for concern. Chief Dorney reported that until a week ago, officers were only giving warnings to
drivers who drove through the signs without stopping. PennDot wants to remove the flashing
warning signs and the police have begun issuing citations. In the first week of enforcement, 33
vehicles were stopped for not stopping. One of them was a school bus. Two drivers were arrested
for DUI, two more for drug violations, firearms were removed from yet another, and there were two
crashes with injuries! Dorney said that the situation there is serious and asked the Board to write to
PennDot to request street markings, in particular stop bars and reflective stop warnings.
After discussion it was agreed that Dorney will send a letter with the details of this first week of
enforcement to PennDot and markings and/or the authority to install them will be requested. The
cost of the improvements is estimated at $1000. Dorney also said that Township residents know
this is a very dangerous intersection and avoid it.
In other news, we learned:
- Township Manager Cathy Kichline was given two checks by developer Tom Maloney of
Signature Homes. The one for $5000 is earmarked for Forks Community Day(s) and the
other for $13,000 is for the PD to use at their discretion. She said that in conversation she
was asked for a "wish list" of things that were not budgeted for. (Aside: Signature Homes is
one of the partners in Kings Mill, LLC.) - The Police Department conducted a successful program in identity theft at the Community
Center. Eighteen residents participated. - The PD will conduct a course on teenage drinking and driving on April 24th. It will be
marketed by the school district and participants will include the D.A'.s office, the Fire
Department, and EMS. The course is designed for new drivers as well as teens who will be
driving in the next one to two years. - Lower Nazareth Township, a partner in the ownership of the Township's milling machine
wants to buy it. Forks no longer needs it. - RCN sent a reminder letter to Kichline and to Solicitor Karl Kline that their (RCN's) contract
with the Township is up in 2008! They want to renew it. A public hearing will be necessary. - The billboard on 115 near Lockwood Congress is coming down - as per agreement.
- A fence is being installed in the park to keep people off the grass.
- Finance Manager Jim Farley has passed his 6 month probationary period and has been
retained and given a raise to $54K. It was in the budget. He was soundly praised for the
good job he is doing. - The new Community Center sign was returned because it was the wrong size. The
replacement should be installed in 2 weeks. - Avian (bird) flu is on its way, the question is WHEN will it get here.
- The PD will get "baseball" type cards to hand out to kids. They are in their budget.
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there...
and the Comments too. Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
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The Planning Commission meeting on 3/9/06 began with a pre-meeting at 7:00 PM - in the public meeting room!
They had nothing to discuss though since the workshop changes to the agenda were in place and only projects that were
actually coming before them were on the list. They socialized. Meanwhile, during the regular meeting, it was decided that in the
future all PC regular meetings will begin at 7:00 PM! The Forks Township website now contains a link to a pdf document
containing current projects' status. If the link from here ceases to work, go to the Zoning link at www.forkstownship.org and look
around for a link to project status. It is currently under the photograph. Between it and our News page table of projects you
should be able to get a good idea of what's happening where in the Township.
The PC (and the public) got a first look at what may develop into another grocery store in Forks Township! Sarah Mausolf
(Express Times) was there and wrote all about it. CVS, (it recently purchased Albertson's) has done additional research into
our area demographics and is exploring options other than a stand-alone drugstore for the intersection of Sullivan Trail and
Uhler Road. Their "trending study" supports an upscale grocery! The developer's in-house counsel, Rose Randazzo,
presented their findings including:
The location is currently zoned EC (Employment Center) and a "big box" store is not permitted in EC. They are permitted in the
TC (Town Center) though. So, in order to get the go-ahead some sort of "localized" zoning would have to be in place. "Staff"
has suggested an amendment to the existing zoning - yes, the brand new zoning ordinance passed just last month. Engineer
Fred Hay suggested that a store out there would alleviate some of the traffic pressure in TC. In fact, all the PC members
seemed to agree that "traffic" is the big question. The developer has agreed to provide the PC with traffic data as soon as they
can. The project was presented as a concept to get a feel for how the PC would react, before any more monies were spent on
the plan.
Please let us know if any of the above is inaccurate and we will do our best to correct it. Read our blog for more Forks-centric
news. Heck, go ahead and exress yourself there too.
They had nothing to discuss though since the workshop changes to the agenda were in place and only projects that were
actually coming before them were on the list. They socialized. Meanwhile, during the regular meeting, it was decided that in the
future all PC regular meetings will begin at 7:00 PM! The Forks Township website now contains a link to a pdf document
containing current projects' status. If the link from here ceases to work, go to the Zoning link at www.forkstownship.org and look
around for a link to project status. It is currently under the photograph. Between it and our News page table of projects you
should be able to get a good idea of what's happening where in the Township.
The PC (and the public) got a first look at what may develop into another grocery store in Forks Township! Sarah Mausolf
(Express Times) was there and wrote all about it. CVS, (it recently purchased Albertson's) has done additional research into
our area demographics and is exploring options other than a stand-alone drugstore for the intersection of Sullivan Trail and
Uhler Road. Their "trending study" supports an upscale grocery! The developer's in-house counsel, Rose Randazzo,
presented their findings including:
- The projected median family income for Forks is $55,000.
- 5200 dwelling units are approved and not yet under construction within a 3 mile radius of the Uhler/Sullivan intersection.
- The radius used does not include any part of Easton.
- The area population is expected to be more than 40,000 people based on 2.74 persons per household. It is currently
less than 30,000 people. - The Giant brings in $40 million plus in gross sales and is virtually at capacity. It is an astronomically high dollar volume
grocery. - The new store is estimated to take in $30 million plus in gross revenues and give back to the Township approximately
$45K in mercantile taxes - in year one. A CVS would bring in $8 million in gross sales. - 150-200 new jobs will be created, 30+ of which will be in administration.
- The property in question is a 9.2 acre tract and the developer is planning parking for 425 cars (somewhat more than
zoning requires). - There may be a fast food restaurant or a gas station on the parcel also. Both are successful traffic generators.
- A cafe and a drug store will be part of the grocery store. There will be no standalone drug store.
- The store would be similar in size to the existing Giant, approximately 68,900 sq. feet.
- The interested party cannot be identified until the Township says it's a go.
The location is currently zoned EC (Employment Center) and a "big box" store is not permitted in EC. They are permitted in the
TC (Town Center) though. So, in order to get the go-ahead some sort of "localized" zoning would have to be in place. "Staff"
has suggested an amendment to the existing zoning - yes, the brand new zoning ordinance passed just last month. Engineer
Fred Hay suggested that a store out there would alleviate some of the traffic pressure in TC. In fact, all the PC members
seemed to agree that "traffic" is the big question. The developer has agreed to provide the PC with traffic data as soon as they
can. The project was presented as a concept to get a feel for how the PC would react, before any more monies were spent on
the plan.
Please let us know if any of the above is inaccurate and we will do our best to correct it. Read our blog for more Forks-centric
news. Heck, go ahead and exress yourself there too.
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
There was an ice storm on Thursday, March 2nd, the night of the Board of Supervisors meeting. That didn't
stop them from meeting but it did stop our usual note-takers from attending. We were told that the newspapers (yes, the
reporters were there) covered the meeting very well. So for all of us who couldn't make it, here are links to both articles. They
are different and both should be read for a more complete picture. We thank both Fred Walter (Morning Call) and Daniel
Hausmann (Express Times) for venturing out that night.
stop them from meeting but it did stop our usual note-takers from attending. We were told that the newspapers (yes, the
reporters were there) covered the meeting very well. So for all of us who couldn't make it, here are links to both articles. They
are different and both should be read for a more complete picture. We thank both Fred Walter (Morning Call) and Daniel
Hausmann (Express Times) for venturing out that night.
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
The how-it-all-works Planning Commission Workshop on February 28th was both informative and interesting.
The Planners and staff sat in chairs in a semi-circle facing the audience. It was a relaxed and friendly gathering. Solicitor Karl
Kline opened the session with a synopsis of the rules governing and guiding both the PC and the BoS, the MPC (Municipal
Planning Code) and the SALDO (Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance). He explained that the MPC is a guideline for
what cannot be done.
Kline said that Zoning is the right of a municipality to control what people can do with their property. He said too that developers
must comply with both the Zoning Ordinance and the SALDO. He noted that all applications must be handled within 90 days of
the first PC meeting after a plan has been submitted. Zoning Officer Tim Weis is the person responsible for "watching the
clock."
Some of what we learned:
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
The Planners and staff sat in chairs in a semi-circle facing the audience. It was a relaxed and friendly gathering. Solicitor Karl
Kline opened the session with a synopsis of the rules governing and guiding both the PC and the BoS, the MPC (Municipal
Planning Code) and the SALDO (Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance). He explained that the MPC is a guideline for
what cannot be done.
Kline said that Zoning is the right of a municipality to control what people can do with their property. He said too that developers
must comply with both the Zoning Ordinance and the SALDO. He noted that all applications must be handled within 90 days of
the first PC meeting after a plan has been submitted. Zoning Officer Tim Weis is the person responsible for "watching the
clock."
Some of what we learned:
- The Township does not grant time extensions, the developer does.
- If the vote by a board is to deny a project, the board must supply the specifics in writing to the developer noting what the
defects are citing specific sections of the ordinance that apply. If they don't do this, the plan is DEEMED APPROVED! - A developer's preliminary plan acceptance with conditions gives the developer vested rights as long as the conditions
are followed. - Additional conditions may NOT be added at final plan stage.
- Kline noted that if an appeal goes to court, "The Township wins the ties." He added that "time is money."
- If the boards do not follow the law, the courts can and do consider it a "deemed" approval. The courts can also reverse
rejections. - All deliberations must be done at a public meeting. Apparently a memo was sent by Kline at Tamorrino's request, to
stop the other PC members from sending group e-mails to each other since they could violate the Sunshine Law. If the
emails go to less than a quorum though, they are okay. - The Planners can form committees as long as they are composed of less than a quorum of PC members.
- Planner Erik Chuss asked that the agendas for Workshops be on the Township website.
- There is a Monday staff meeting attended by Engineer Fred Hay, Township Manager Cathy Kichline, Zoning Officer Tim
Weis, and PC chair Vito Tamborrino at which time the PC agenda is revised. - Hay stated, "You cannot stop development." He said that a full review by the Township engineer gives the Township
"ammunition" and that it shows bias if there is no review. - Hay recommends that the PC tackle the SALDO next (they just finished the Zoning Ordinance re-write).
- Hay offered that he will likely ask the Kings Farm developer to grant a time extension since it's such a big project, he
cannot fully review it in time for the PC meeting on 3/9/06. (In other words, if the developer grants the extension, it will not
be on the agenda next week. If not, well, who knows?!) - The PC will also be reviewing the Township Comprehensive Plan - after the SALDO and most likely in the fall.
Please read our blog for more meeting details! Don't forget to read some of the other posts there... and the Comments too.
Don't be afraid to join in the discussion(s) and add your own Comments.
In case any of you wonder how our website and blog are doing lately, here are some graphs to view. Double click on the
images below for larger views. We are excited at the traffic we are getting. Thank you all! Tell your friends!
images below for larger views. We are excited at the traffic we are getting. Thank you all! Tell your friends!
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