This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
At their January meeting, West Cornwall Township supervisors heard concerns from Quentin residents that a proposed townhome development off South Zinns Mill Road might exacerbate stormwater runoff issues in their neighborhood.
Read More: Subdivision, land development plan for Quentin townhomes tabled by board
At a special workshop meeting Wednesday, those property owners learned that supervisors, township engineer Jeff Steckbeck, and developer Landmark Homes collaborated to address and solve those issues.
“We heard you last month, and we asked Jeff how we could address it,” said supervisor David Lloyd, referring to Steckbeck. “We’re trying to meet your concerns.”
The impetus for the collaboration was Landmark Homes’ proposed subdivision and land development plan for Iron Mill Townes, a development of 16 townhomes, that will be accessed from South Zinns Mill Road.
In January, supervisors tabled action on the plan, which had been approved by the Lebanon County Planning Commission. At that meeting, Chuck Hess, land development manager with Landmark Homes, noted that the plan had addressed stormwater on the site and that nearby neighbors were describing long-standing drainage issues.
Between that meeting and Wednesday’s work session, the Iron Mill Townes’ plan was amended to include several improvements specific to managing stormwater runoff. Those were enlarging a drainpipe so it could accommodate more water, adding a new inlet for runoff, and widening a portion of South Zinns Mill Road.
“What they (Landmark Homes) are doing should make it better,” said county engineer Rick Bolt, who attended Wednesday’s meeting and who approved the amended plan.
“We heard the issues that residents brought up, and we stepped up — we want to be good neighbors,” Hess said.
In addition to the improvements specific to the proposed townhomes, the township is exploring ways to divert water onto the five acres the township owns behind its building as part of a discharge analysis, Steckbeck said.
“There’s been a preexisting water situation here for decades,” he added.
The subdivision and land development plan for Iron Mill Townes will be on the agenda at the supervisors’ next meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 10, at 73 S. Zinns Mill Road. These meetings are open to the public and do not require registration.
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