Former power plant and Springdale attorneys to meet over overlay proposal

A meeting among attorneys is in order before the Springdale Planning Commission can make a recommendation on a proposed zoning overlay in the borough.

Planners met Wednesday to consider the overlay. The commission, which only serves in an advisory role to borough council, tabled the proposal in September.

The idea for an overlay — which doesn’t change a zoning designation but could allow for uses not specified in the current districts — first sprang up this summer, after officials say the Heinz Endowments approached the borough, pitching a review of the community and its zoning.

Originally, a proposal to rezone the former power plant property to residential use came before planners earlier this year, but the borough scrapped that idea to make way for the overlay draft.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Sam Miller, plant manager of the former Cheswick Generating Station, read a statement on behalf of the property owner, Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of environmental remediation firm Charah Solutions.

CPERG has publicly stated at borough meetings its opposition to any form of rezoning or zoning modification at the site. Miller said Wednesday that CPERG has made a significant investment into the property with its current industrial use zoning designation.

Charah representatives contended the proposed amendment would remove some currently permitted uses.

“We are encouraged that just today the solicitor invited our attorney to meet with him to discuss our concerns. The meeting has not yet taken place, but we look forward to providing more specific comments regarding the proposed modifications to the Springdale Borough zoning ordinance,” Miller said. “We strongly urge the planning commission to allow that meeting to take place before making any recommendations to the borough council.”

CPERG representatives said they received the proposed zoning amendment Wednesday afternoon and are still completing a review. The proposal is not available to the public because it has not yet been advertised, borough officials said.