North Cornwall approves Nolt’s Garden Center, 700 E. Penn land development

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The North Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a land development plan and lot addition for Nolt’s Garden Center, 1585 Colebrook Road, at a meeting Tuesday.

The plan includes the annexation of a half-acre from BW Ranch LLC and the construction of two greenhouses (6,540 square feet and 9,216 square feet), trailer parking, and associated stormwater management facilities.

In addition to 15,756 square feet of new greenhouses, the plan includes 2,304 square feet from a concrete pad outside the greenhouses and 4,898 square feet of stone trailer parking. The plan also includes stormwater mitigation to counteract the increased impervious area, including infiltration trenches.

Chairman Mike Wahmann asked about the inspection schedule for the development, noting the township has had issues with “major encroachments” by the property owner into stormwater management areas.

Township engineer Steve Sherk said inspections are typically conducted during construction. Developers are provided an inspection schedule, and are ultimately billed for the inspections, he said. Only after township inspections confirm the property’s as-built plan is the financial security released.

In response to a further question, Sherk confirmed that, if inspections show the plan isn’t being followed, the township can pause construction and ask that the developer make corrections.

“The township has the legal authority to enter the property to inspect these at any time,” said Sherk, noting the township can add inspections if it has reason to believe stormwater management requirements are not being followed.

Supervisors unanimously approved the plan and associated documents, including a letter of credit totaling $170,250.

Supervisors also on Tuesdy unanimously approved a land development plan for 700 E. Penn Ave., which is set to contain three 2,000-square-foot retail units and 27 parking spaces.

This comes after North Cornwall’s Zoning Hearing Board unanimously voted to grant the following variances for the development on May 13, 2024:

• Permitting a 50-foot clear sight triangle in lieu of the required 100-foot clear sight triangle, granted with the condition that any trees, bushes, or other plantings in the vicinity of the 50-foot clear sight triangle shall be at least 5 feet from that line.
• Permitting a driveway throat length of 34 feet instead of the required 500 feet, affording relief from the clear sight triangle general requirements.
• Permitting a 3-foot radius for an internal island parking area instead of the required 4.5 feet.
• Permitting a 3-foot-wide landscaping strip in the rear of the subject property instead of the required 10 feet.

In August 2024, supervisors granted the developer waivers for curb along interior parking islands, sidewalk from street to principal use, and a deferral for sidewalk along the street. At that time, the board also waived a portion of the stormwater ordinance concerning rate control requirements.

Tuesday, supervisors unanimously agreed to affirm these waivers and approve a waiver for the traffic evaluation report contingent on documentation from the developer.

A representative of the developer HTK Property Inc. said the plan was unlikely to add significantly to traffic on U.S. Route 422, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was also willing to waive traffic impact study requirements.

Supervisors unanimously agreed the plan in addition to associated documents and financial security totaling $81,055.53.

Both plans were approved at the recommendation of the planning commission.

In other news, supervisors:

• Heard that pumps, which were previously delayed, have been received for the Dairy Road Pump Station project, with one already installed and the rest planned for installation soon.
• Unanimously agreed to formally accept the snow emergency declaration Jan. 25-27. Yeagley thanked road crew employees for their work during the storm and thanked residents for cooperating, as residents are not allowed to park along township streets during a snow emergency. Wahmann clarified that residents were allowed to park at the township building, police department, and fire company during the emergency.
• Unanimously approved a resolution accepting the 22nd Street right-of-way, as, during the relocation of the 22nd Street Bridge project, officials learned that PennDOT never accepted the right-of-way. However, it can be accepted by the township.
• Unanimously agreed to appoint office manager Shawna Urban as township representative on the Lebanon Community Library board, which meets the last Wednesday of each month.
• Unanimously approved a letter of credit reduction of $81,049.38 for North Cornwall Commons Lot 19 and $57,545.95 for North Cornwall Commons Lot 26, leaving outstanding balances in both accounts.
• Unanimously approved a clear sight triangle agreement at the intersection of Forney Road and Meadow Lane, which limits what can be planted near the intersection.
• Unanimously approved minutes and reports, with supervisor William Yeagley abstaining from some checks in the treasurer’s report.

North Cornwall Township meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.