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At Wednesday’s meeting, South Annville Township’s Board of Supervisors concluded the conditional use application hearing for Carmany Place Apartments’ residential development project and tentatively approved the plans.
In Oct. 2022, the Lebanon County Commissioners authorized an Act 137 Affordable Housing loan for the Carmany Place apartments, where the total cost for the unit construction would be $17.2 million. Carmany Place LLC intends to develop 48 affordable two- and three-bedroom residential units, with construction set to begin toward the end of 2023.
According to the Pennsylvania Residential Housing Agency, these units will be located south of Annville Borough in South Annville Township at the intersection of Mount Pleasant Road and Reigerts Lane. (The 7.9-acre parcel at 580 Mount Pleasant Road was purchased for $950,000 in June 2022 by Aconite Group LLC; the link between Carmany Place LLC and Aconite Group LLC was not immediately clear.)
Carmany Place LLC submitted an application for conditional use with South Annville Township due to the overlapping of zones as presented in the plans for development. The conditional use process began in October 2022 when Matthew Padron of Commonwealth Companies solicited comments from the township on the proposed apartments.
This past July, the board heard testimony and saw written exhibits from Carmany Place LLC’s application. Following the township engineer’s written comment on the application, Carmany Place LLC’s council presented revised versions of the Deferred Improvements Agreement and the Proposed Conditions.
These documents were reviewed and admitted to the record Wednesday. The township staff and public audience did not testify at the continuation of the hearing.
The board then unanimously passed a motion to close the record following the inclusion of the presented documents. Additionally, the board unanimously passed a motion to grant the application of Carmany Place LLC, subject to the revised conditions presented.
Josele Cleary, solicitor for the South Annville supervisors, confirmed that a written decision regarding Carmany Place LLC’s application would be presented within 45 days.
The board also heard a report from township engineer James Caldwell. Caldwell updated the board on the progress of a PennDOT grant for traffic signals and crosswalks at Annville-Cleona High School. PennDOT confirmed that the grant has moved on to the next level in the application process.
Caldwell also reported that annual road projects, including pipe replacement on Lake Drive, will be continued over the next month. Lake Drive will be temporarily closed for paving following a successful pipe installation, but steel plates will be placed for emergency services.
The engineer’s office will continue work on drainage projects and stated that construction observation at DHL Service Point on Kilmer Road was completed as a part of the plans to be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for a permit.
The board also heard the following issues:
- A motion to approve the updated box card system for Lawn Fire Company, in which Rapid Intervention Teams would be called immediately as suggested by the county, was unanimously passed.
- A motion to approve Annville Township’s leaf collection service for South Annville Township for 2023 was unanimously passed.
- An event for the 108th anniversary of the Lebanon County Association will be held Oct. 12 at the Lebanon Valley Exposition and Fairgrounds.
- Per police Chief Ben Sutcliffe’s report, there were 179 incidents handled by South Annville Township Police Department and 33 incidents handled by Annville Township Police Department in July.
- Dustin Sider of the Annville-Cleona Fire Department shared the advantages of the recent merger between fire companies.
- A motion to approve the secretary’s report was unanimously passed.
- A motion to approve the treasurer’s report was unanimously passed.
- A motion to pay township bills was unanimously passed.
Next month, the board will address the following issues:
- Alternative leaf collection options for 2024 will be presented due to an increase in Annville Township’s collection fees.
- Annville Police Department’s request for staffing assistance will be addressed following the presentation of a formal payment agreement.
The Board of Supervisors of South Annville Township meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the township building at 1042 Horseshoe Pike and are open to the public. Next month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
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