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The North Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to advertise a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) at its meeting Monday.
The township has been using the county SALDO, but as it is using its own engineer — Steve Sherk of Steckbeck Engineering — the township has prepared its own ordinance.
“It’s not a seismic shift, but it has a lot more detail in terms of administration,” Sherk, who helped township solicitor Amy Leonard prepare the 116-page document, said in an interview Tuesday.
He said the SALDO is fairly standard, and he doesn’t expect prospective developers will be surprised by its contents. However, the document is tailored to North Lebanon Township, which — for instance — has more stringent street specifications than the county.
“This truly shows that we are our own entity,” said supervisor Ed Brensinger. “We feel this is best suited for our tax base.”
Leonard explained that the SALDO is not a zoning document; it does not regulate uses permitted on a site. It is primarily intended for engineers working with developers, so the language is technical.
“Subdivision is any time a lot or parcels are divided into two or more lots or tracts or parcels, and land development is improving lots or parcels of land with a certain number of either residential buildings or non-residential buildings,” she explained.
The SALDO includes regulations on land development plans, the process and requirements for submission to the township, and compliance to traffic planning, fire protection and more, she added.
A public hearing for the ordinance will be held at the start of the township’s Oct. 14 meeting.
Also Monday, the board unanimously agreed to accept a bid from Flyway Excavating for improvements at Lions Lake Park totaling $712,300.
Improvements include the primary project of stabilizing the shore around the lake, plantings, removing old and installing new playground equipment, paving stone lots and paths, which came in at $638,300.
The supervisors opted to include two add-alternate items: $17,000 to install geotextile paving fabric at the Water Street parking lot, per PennDOT recommendations, and $57,000 to replace the ball field’s chain-link fence and backstop.
The township was also considering an add-alternate including excavating part of the Ashton Street lot for grass, repaving the remainder of the lot, and installing curbing, but Flyway Excavating’s estimate came in at $103,000.
Supervisors said the add-alternate came in high (especially as bidder Kinsley Construction Site York, whose bid for the primary project was $791,070, estimated the same item at $33,000) and that they would consider options for the lot at a later time.
Several members of the public also spoke about speeding on township roads, including Lehman Street by the Walmart warehouse.
A resident reported that his family dog was recently hit and killed, and another said that she’d seen cars passing stopped school buses.
Brensinger said the township has limited avenues for enforcement, as Pennsylvania is the only state not to allow radar traffic enforcement. He urged residents to contact their legislators on the topic.
Police chief Tim Knight is also pursuing state grants for the enforcement of aggressive driving, which would also enable the department to put more time into policing township roadways, he said.
In other news, the board:
- Unanimously agreed to an ordinance prohibiting parking for around 300 feet on the south side of Long Lane to allow safe access to the New Covenant Christian School’s new driveway following a public hearing. No residents opposed the ordinance.
- Unanimously approved an ordinance amending the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act to include a parcel unintentionally omitted from the 2007 ordinance following a public hearing. No residents opposed the ordinance.
- Unanimously agreed to release $30,000 from the fire company reserve fund to Weavertown Fire Company for an annual payment on a fire engine.
- Heard that a representative from Nobody’s Cats will hold an informational meeting on TNR in the township building Oct. 17. Brensinger indicated he would attend.
- Unanimously approved the Weaver subdivision plan, which changes lot lines.
- Unanimously agreed to promote sewer billing clerk Brandi Trumbo, who just completed her probationary period, to a full-time employee with a 50-cent raise.
- Agreed not to move on a request from the parks and recreation board to ban all smoking in parks, rather than just near athletic and playground areas.
- Unanimously agreed to pursue signage for the dam breast to deter trespassers.
- Unanimously agreed to release $6,325 in financial security to 2203 W. Cumberland St.
- Unanimously agreed to accept the Sunny Lane Foods financial security.
- Unanimously agreed to accept a plan review extension for Flexo-Pack.
The North Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. The meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.
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