For over 290 years, the Hoffman family farm along Hill Church Road in North Annville Township has been in agricultural production by 10 generations of the same bloodline.
Jim Hoffman Sr.’s conviction to continue that tradition runs so deep that he sold his development rights in 2008 so that the nearly 400 acres he and his son farm would remain in agricultural production forever.
Now, however, at least 1.25 acres of his land – if not potentially more – may be taken via eminent domain proceedings if PennDOT follows through with a proposed highway improvement project on his farm.
Hoffman believes an increase in water runoff could cause additional acreage to become unproductive as well.
“The biggest problem we’re at is everything they propose here beyond the road takes more land out of production,” he said.
The state has floated a plan to improve the intersection of Hill Church Road and Thompson Avenue, which is one-tenth of a mile west of his property. That plan, however, requires a portion of his land to be condemned and removed from production when the portion of Hill Church Road adjacent to his farm is realigned to run onto his farm.
What frustrates Jim Sr. and Jim Jr., his son, is not knowing what PennDOT plans to do and how their production practices will be altered.
“I think, for us, the biggest fear we have here is actually the fear of the unknown,” said Jim Sr. “We don’t know what’s going on, but they’re telling us if you go there, not that first telephone pole but the second one, that’s where they’re going to come in, and the center of the road along here (his land) is going to be elevated to 10.5 feet.”
A public comment period on the proposed project is open through Friday, March 14.
Information, including an interactive comment form, can be found by visiting the PennDOT District 8 website, PennDOT District 8, clicking “Projects Near You” listed on the left side of the page, then the District 8 Projects, and choosing “Route 4004 (Hill Church Road) Safety Improvements.”
PennDOT says “the purpose of the plans display is to introduce the project and receive public input regarding any questions or concerns with the project.
It is also an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the project’s potential effect upon cultural resources pursuant to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.”
Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in late September 2026 and continue through late September 2027.
While Jim Sr. and Jim Jr., 9th- and 10th-generation family farmers, agree that the intersection must be addressed to improve safety, their take on how that should be accomplished differs from PennDOT’s. They said they both have experienced firsthand too many traffic accidents at that intersection as volunteer firefighters.
Jim Sr. and numerous other Hill Church Road residents aired their concerns at the March 10 meeting of North Annville Township supervisors, since they believe PennDOT’s proposal will make the intersection more dangerous than it already is.
Residents are concerned that the improvements, which are designed to improve sight lines, will lead to motorists driving even faster than they do now once the improvements are made. They believe faster speeds will increase the likelihood of accidents happening when stopped cars on Thompson Avenue enter the intersection to cross or turn onto Hill Church Road.
Read More: North Annville Township residents air concerns on highway intersection project
“My thought is this, and I want to be clear: I know we need a safer intersection, and I know we want a safer intersection. And I don’t want to stand in the way of that,” Hoffman said. “But I don’t feel good about giving up this land because I don’t think it’ll happen. And I do think, in regards to what plan they have, when you look at this, you don’t need that much land to accomplish this. I think it’s a ton of overkill.”
Residents believe four-way stop signs that have flashing warning lights along with rumble strips would be just as effective and and less costly. LebTown asked PennDOT for a cost estimate for this project, but none was provided as of publication. Hoffman told LebTown a PennDOT official recently told him the proposal’s price tag is an estimated $2 million.
The collective goal of local residents who spoke at the meeting is to see speeding reduced on the roadway. One resident said he calls it Hill Church Speedway instead of Hill Church Road given how many drivers exceed the speed limit past his property. (A traffic monitoring device installed by the township shows drivers how fast they are traveling.)
LebTown asked PennDOT if there are any plans to lower the speed limit below its current 45 mph on that nearly 3-mile stretch of highway. PennDOT District 8 spokesman David Thompson replied that there are no plans to reduce the speed limit on Hill Church Road. He said studies have shown that lower speed limits on certain roads may lead to an increase in accidents.
“Please keep in mind that, in conducting a speed study, a significant part in determining the appropriate speed limit for a roadway is based on the safe running speed – that is the speed that most drivers (85%) feel comfortable driving on a certain section of road. This is referred to as the 85th percentile speed,” wrote Thompson. “The speed limit of a road is usually set within 5 mph of this speed, and is considered a nationally accepted practice in setting speed limits.”
Thompson also noted this practice is also “consistent with the policy established in Title 67 of the PA Code, Chapter 212. Numerous studies throughout the years have proven that unwarranted/unrealistic posted speed limits do not result in lower vehicle speeds. It simply creates a larger disparity between the actual travel speeds of vehicles, which can be detrimental to safety.”
Additionally, last fall when PennDOT provided three options to township supervisors for their opinion, PennDOT noted that a study they performed showed that four-way stop signs – one of the three options preferred by local residents – did not improve highway safety. The other two options were for construction of a roundabout or their current proposal.
Jim Jr. said the biggest concern should be slowing traffic down as it approaches that intersection, and one option is the best to accomplish that goal.
“In my mind a roundabout would slow the traffic down. It physically has to, and that would make it safer,” he said. “If you went to that meeting last night you know what everyone’s upset about.”
A roundabout would impact the house and farm owned by Steve Bauman, whose property is on the north side of Hill Church Road. He told LebTown he informed PennDOT that he supports a roundabout being constructed at that intersection. He added that he was in an accident the second day after he moved there 2.5 years ago. Also, more than one car has ended up in his front yard and numerous accidents have occurred there since he’s moved to Lebanon County from Lancaster County.
“From what people said at the meeting last night, it sounds like the state is more interested in people going fast through here than eliminating accidents here, but I am more interested in reducing accidents,” Bauman said. “If you lowered the speed limit to 25 at the intersection when it is already 35, that would help.”
His goal, like his neighbors, is to see a reduction in accidents by lowering the speed limit on Hill Church Road. He said he would also support flashing lights at a four-way stop along with rumble strips leading into all four intersections to warn motorists about the pending intersection.
He noted that people drive through Thompson Avenue heading north because they miss the stop sign there. At one point, a flashing light was on the stop sign, but it was wrecked in an accident and never replaced.
Concerning water runoff and other potential issues Hoffman may face, it’s impossible to get concrete answers from conservation and other officials since PennDOT’s plan is in the preliminary stages.
Lebanon County Conservation District employees Karl Kerchner, assistant manager/land and water resources manager, and Craig Zemitis, agricultural land preservation specialist, both said it’s too early to tell what impacts the project will have until a land development plan is received from the state.
Kerchner said his department would review the state’s proposal for soil erosion and sedimentation to ensure the plan meets Chapter 102 for soil erosion and sedimentation controls.
Thompson verified for LebTown that a PennDOT consultant did gather onsite data on a septic tank and drain field location that was not identified in the initial survey. The Hoffmans showed LebTown three locations where 5-foot holes were recently drilled, but said they didn’t know why that happened.
Zemitis clarified that he had told Hoffman some changes for water runoff may occur but also emphasized to LebTown that he informed Hoffman he didn’t know what would happen since no plans have been submitted.
Zemitis added the farmland preservation board will listen to Hoffman’s concerns about likely eminent domain proceedings of his preserved farmland at their April meeting.
Kerchner noted land development plans are typically submitted to the conservation district and that his department may go “back and forth” on changes to ensure the plan is in compliance with Chapter 102 regulations.
Several concerns the Hoffmans have are a proposed rise in the roadway to 10.5 feet. Jim Sr. believes the roadway is being raised under the current plan to improve sight lines for vehicles traveling west towards the intersection. Raising the road, however, leads the Hoffmans to believe greater water runoff from the highway will occur at what is already existing low-level land.
Another issue raised by the Hoffmans is the realignment of their farm lane. The lane, which divides his property from his neighbor’s farm, would be readjusted to push his farm vehicles onto Thompson Avenue and across his neighbor’s land.
“We both agree it’s unacceptable, that the proposal is just unacceptable,” Jim Sr. said. “That’s the way I feel and he told me that’s how he feels.”
Jim Sr. also noted that forcing his equipment onto Thompson Avenue would potentially lead to mud and manure dropping onto the highway, which would make that section of roadway hazardous to drive. He’s also concerned about a raised road prohibiting his farm equipment from accessing Hill Church Road as it has in the past.
Thompson told LebTown that PennDOT officials met with Jim Sr. on March 4 to discuss the field entrance to “allow him to give his feedback concerning access to his fields,” adding PennDOT officials are “currently looking into the possibility of minimizing the effects on his property.”
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