Pittsburgh Cut Flower property owners seek final approval of phases 2, 3

Despite little progress being made in phase one of development at the former Pittsburgh Cut Flower property along Bakerstown Road, developers requested final approval of phases two and three at the Richland Board of Supervisors meeting in March.

Representatives of 4137 Bakerstown Road LLC, which owns the property, were not present at the meeting, but Mike McAneny was there representing Traditions of America, which plans to build a 55-and-over housing development on the land.

This is the first time plans for the development came before the board since a subdivision plan was approved in 2017. McAneny said developers are waiting on third-party permits to move forward with much of the work of phase one, which includes removing two detention ponds and building a pump station to transport sewage from the development to Breakneck Creek Regional Authority for treatment. McAneny said they’re expecting those permits to come through at “any time.”

Once that happens and construction begins, McAneny said, they expect to sell phase one quickly and will need to move right into phase two. Phases one, two and three will total 163 housing units.

“We are expecting pretty good demand, so we’re trying to get all the numbers together,” he said. “It’s a big job, there’s a lot of site work on it, so we’re trying to get all the plans completed so we can figure out the financials behind it and close on the entire property.”

The board voted to approve the final plans for phases two and three with a number of conditions as recommended by zoning officer Scott Shoup, including submission of homeowners association documents and covenants for review, acquisition of a number of permits and payment of a transportation impact fee.

• Under an ordinance established by Richland supervisors at their March meeting, parking along Sandy Hill Road within the township will be prohibited. Township manager Dean Bastianini sent a letter to residents informing them of the board’s intention to consider the ordinance at the March meeting and received no objections or feedback.

• Supervisors also voted to authorize a vehicle weight limit of 10 tons on Ben Miller Road. Officers from Northern Regional Police plan to continue to run speed checks, VASCAR lines and use digital radar signs on Ben Miller Road and feeder roads.

• The planning commission discussed the possibility of changing the existing zoning ordinance and allowing digital signs in the township but came to no agreement. Rene Hoy appeared before the board of supervisors asking about the possibility of replacing Richland Elementary’s sign, which requires letters to be changed manually, with a digital sign, as did representatives from McCauley Celin Eyecare Associates at the February meeting. Some of the concerns raised by commission members include the potential for the signs to become distractions for drivers, whether they’re appropriate for residential areas, how officials would enforce compliance with hours of use and size and whether the signs could blink, scroll, etc. Supervisor Donna Snyder, who was at the planning commission meeting, said some members want to gather more information, including what regulations other municipalities have in place.

• Richland’s spring leaf collection date is April 3. This collection will include bagged garden residue, vegetative material and tree trimmings that are tied or bound and which contain branches that are no larger than 3 inches in diameter and do not exceed 48 inches in length. All bags must be out prior to 6 a.m. on the day of pickup, and all items must be in biodegradable paper bags. Plastic bags are not acceptable. Limit bags to 40 pounds.