Nine additional properties along Route 981 near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are being targeted for rezoning from a residential classification to a regional commercial designation, as Unity Township looks to amend its zoning ordinance to support more development opportunities near the airport.

The nine parcels, stretching northeast from the roundabout at the airport entrance, are mostly being used for business purposes already, township solicitor Gary Falatovich told those attending a hearing this past week . It was intended as the last in a series of forums seeking public comment on the proposed ordinance amendments.

That segment of the highway joins a longer array of about 20 Route 981 properties just to the southwest, between the airport and the Westmoreland County Airpark, that are being recommended for inclusion in Unity’s B-3 regional commercial district.

Lots in the latter area are more mixed between dwellings and businesses.

Attorney Scott Avolio, who represents a property owner along the affected 981 corridor, suggested the township expand the list of permitted uses in the B-3 district to include enterprises, such as a car rental business or bus depot, that could complement the airport.

Avolio expressed concern that a minimum 75-foot front yard setback for buildings in that zoning district might be a hindrance to development.

But Falatovich said the setback should “create less of an impact on smaller properties that are still in residential use” while remaining appropriate for similarly zoned properties along busy Route 30. He pointed out property owners can apply to Unity’s zoning hearing board to seek relief from the setback restriction.

Brothers Dean and David Schober, who are worried about potential windmill development surrounding their land along the Chestnut Ridge, asked the township to consider increasing the required distance between a windmill and a bordering property line.

According to Falatovich, the proposed zoning amendment requires a windmill be placed at least 2,000 feet away from a residence and 150 feet away from an adjoining lot line. David Schober said that could allow a developer to place a windmill too close for comfort to an unoccupied end of his property where younger family members might later want to build a dwelling.

“What good is the property to me if they put the windmill up first?” he asked.

Dean Schober suggested increasing the lot line setback to 500 feet or more.

Falatovich said township planners will consider such suggestions before presenting a final version of the zoning amendment for possible action at the supervisors’ February or March meetings. “These are not etched-in-stone concepts or etched-in-stone numbers,” he said. “This is a work-in-progress.”

The proposed zoning change also would require a developer to locate a windmill on at least a 3-acre section of a minimum 10-acre property.

Another proposed change in the township’s property guidelines would establish an agricultural building as a permitted stand-alone structure in agricultural or conservation zones and a special exception in the R-1 (rural residential) zone. Currently, Falatovich said, it is defined as an outbuilding accessory to another primary structure on the same property.

An agricultural building would be considered in an R-1 zone only if it is located on a property of two acres or more, the solicitor noted.

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