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Supervisors approve 63-unit housing development in West Deer

Madasyn Lee
| Sunday, December 20, 2020 6:01 a.m.
Tribune-Review file
West Deer Township municipal offices.

The West Deer supervisors have approved a plan that will allow a developer to build a 63-unit development in the township.

The McIntyre Heights housing development will be made up of 31 single- family dwellings and 16 duplexes. There also will be a picnic pavilion area for residents of the development, located off of McIntyre Road.

Supervisors approved the land development plan with certain conditions at their meeting Wednesday.

They previously delayed approval of the plan so developer Richland Holdings could address issues raised by township engineer Scott Shoup. Shoup on Wednesday said those issues had been addressed.

“This is the plan that was preliminary approved by the board earlier this year,” Shoup said. “Overall, the plan hasn’t changed from what the board approved.”

This is the second time developers have sought approval for the proposed 38.7-acre development, which has been downsized to make it more appealing.

The previous plan called for 35 single-family homes and 17 duplexes.

The planning commission recommended approval of both plans. Supervisors rejected the first plan in 2017, but, after extensive vetting, approved a conditional-use request by Richland Holdings to build the development earlier this year.

Richland Holdings went back to the planning commission for approval of the land development plan, which it granted. The company then came to the supervisors for final approval.

“With the final plan, the nuts and the bolts of the development have to be laid out and reviewed by the planning commission and myself,” Shoup said. “This has been hung up on your agenda for, I believe, a month or two because of some housekeeping issues I’ve asked the applicant’s engineer to address.

“They have now addressed those to my satisfaction to the point where I’m in a position to recommend approval by the board.”

Before the vote, Supervisor Bev Jordan asked if Richland Holdings had completed a traffic study to see what impact the proposed development would have on area traffic.

Residents who live near the proposed development had expressed concern about how it would affect traffic and stormwater runoff during a public hearing in February.

Shoup said a traffic study was completed, and there were no issues.

Julie Wettach, general manager for Richland Holdings, said the company is excited to move forward with the development.

“People have been calling and asking us when we’re building another development,” Wettach said. “Now we can say that we passed and we’re ready to go.”

Wettach said construction is expected to begin in the spring but could not say when the development will be completed.

“It will depend upon how many people decide they want to live there,” Wettach said. “We build as there’s interest.”

Wettach could not provide price ranges for the homes.

In regard to concerns raised by residents, Wettach said the company will follow West Deer’s laws and ordinances.

“We’ll be doing right by them,” Wettach said. “It certainly does help their tax base.”


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