Cornwall P&Z reviews plans for 100-home development, warehouse

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The Cornwall Borough Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed plans for two Cornwall Properties developments at its monthly meeting Monday, the first for the 100-home Knoll at Iron Valley plan and the second for a 300,000-square-foot warehouse by Miners Lake.

The commission did not take action on either item, but reviewed submitted plans for both.

The former plan has already been discussed, though only sketch plans were previously provided. It includes 100 single-family semi-detached units, each containing two parking spaces. An additional parking space is available per two units, Cornwall Properties representative Mike Swank said, and the plan also includes the widening of Granite Street to allow for street parking by existing residents.

P&Z chair Ray Fratini said the developer would need to “chop away at” the plan and that it has too many planned units. He voiced concerns about traffic that could be generated by the development, which features clusters of homes accessible only from the bypass.

Swank said the plan meets borough zoning requirements. However, the plan will need to be reviewed by the borough engineer and the planning commission before council acts on it.

The borough is in the midst of negotiations with Elizabethtown Area Water Authority to obtain land around Miners Lake for use in a bypass around Miners Village, which this plan depends on. Borough representatives planned to meet with EAWA Wednesday, engineer Jeff Steckbeck said.

Steckbeck added that he expects any agreement formed with the EAWA to come with stipulations, and that he expects the 10 leftmost units shown in the plan to be too close to the lake.

The developer is entitled by right to construct homes in the village residential property, Fratini has previously explained, so the borough is looking to alleviate traffic concerns. If land is obtained from the EAWA, it will remain the property of the borough and be designated for bypass use.

The commission also discussed a newly submitted plan for a 300,000-square-foot warehouse in the limited industrial-zoned land by Miners Lake. The plan, Swank said, is a backup for if the developer and the borough cannot reach a resolution on discussions of a Lake Resort Community text amendment.

The amendment, which creates a mixed-use overlay for “lake resort communities” allowing various types of residential development including hotels, commercial uses, and other facilities, has been on the table since 2023, Swank explained. After its inception, the draft amendment was combined with a community-suggested amendment, which would move warehousing as a use from limited industrial (LI) to general industrial (GI). Since then, action has stalled, partially due to ongoing talks with the EAWA.

Commission members expressed a strong opposition to the warehouse plan as it is, though Swank said it meets zoning requirements. Fratini said he felt the plan would create safety issues, as it includes 86 truck docks and exits and enters exclusively onto Boyd Street.

Attendee Jeremy Zimmerman said traffic studies may not accurately anticipate the amount of truck traffic generated by this type of development.

Fratini suggested a gap study to account for slow-accelerating truck traffic, though Swank said a traffic study was performed per borough requirements.

Fratini also suggested the developer consider a land trade with the state Game Commission, which borders the property, to be able to develop along U.S. Route 322. The borough’s ad hoc committee was previously unable to secure Route 322 access at this site.

Commission member and councilman Bruce Conrad said the borough is not prevented from taking the land via eminent domain, though it would need to adequately compensate the land owner.

No action was taken, as the commission plans to wait on the results of talks with the EAWA.

The warehouse plan allows the developer to lock in current zoning criteria for up to five years after plan submission, so regulations passed in the future will not apply to the development. This comes as the commission is in the midst of reviewing and updating the zoning ordinance, with draft ordinances on data centers, solar and wind farms, blasting, and camping now under discussion during special commission meetings the second Monday of each month at 10 a.m.

In other news, the planning commission:

• Unanimously agreed to recommend a lot addition, Iron Valley dedication, and Cobalt Alley dedication for the Cliffs at Iron Valley.
• Unanimously agreed to allow the installation of a black aluminum fence at a property along Forge Drive with an easement for a drainage swail, with the requirement for a four-inch gap at the bottom of the fence for water to get through.

Cornwall P&Z meets the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. It has also been holding a special meeting the second Monday of each month at 10 a.m. to discuss draft ordinances and legislation. Meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.