Cornwall P&Z hears Cornwall Properties, Elizabethtown water authority updates

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The Cornwall Borough Planning and Zoning Commission heard updates on the Knoll and Boyd Street Warehouse plans, as well as ongoing negotiations with the Elizabethtown Area Water Authority, at its monthly meeting May 4.

Both plans are awaiting revisions after receiving comments from the borough engineer, in particular regarding the intersections of the lots and ensuring both work as stand-alone plans.

The Knoll plan, which includes 100 lots and 34 housing units in its first phase, will be revised to remove plans for a Miners Village bypass. The bypass is not out of the question, but is being removed from the plan to avoid ownership issues.

Since negotiations were opened in October for the potential sale of two parcels of land around Miners Lake, commission and council member Bruce Conrad said, the EAWA has expressed interest in a sale but requires various conditions to be met. If the land is acquired, the borough hopes to construct a Miners Village bypass to move traffic out of Cornwall’s interior roads.

The No. 1 concern of the EAWA, Conrad said, is the quality of the lake and avoiding the possibility of a roll-over into the lake in the event a bypass is constructed. He noted a recent incident in which a Mifflin County reservoir was contaminated after a fatal tractor-trailer crash, which Conrad said made the EAWA consider rejecting the offer outright.

Instead, Conrad said, EAWA would require the construction of embankments to ensure potential accidents would not contaminate the water source. Other conditions would include restrictions on the location and type of development nearby, which would be negotiated with Cornwall Properties (which shares an interest in establishing the bypass).

At this point, Conrad said, EAWA is requesting $62,000 from the borough both to cover $12,000 already spent on studying the topic and an escrow for more studies going forward, including its own traffic study.

Conrad said he is still trying to get an idea as to what the price of the parcels will be if EAWA decides to move forward with the transfer, as this has not yet been disclosed. He also thanked engineer Jeff Steckbeck for his knowledge and assistance throughout negotiations.

In other news, the commission:

• Heard an explanation from Steckbeck regarding the Fair Share Doctrine (which requires that every zoning area must have developable land for every type of development) and comprehensive plans including the regional plan adopted by Cornwall-Lebanon School District municipalities last year. He also discussed the requirement that municipalities allow uses granted by right, meaning that a municipality cannot reject a use that is following zoning and meeting requirements.

• Heard from councilwoman Julie Bowman that options for traffic studies will be reviewed by council at its meeting Monday. Bowman also suggested that residents be represented at P&Z workshops (including two out of five P&Z members), which Fratini said he was amenable to.
• Heard updates on the Cliffs at Iron Valley, including a concern about a fallen tree and upcoming sidewalk inspections.
• Heard resident concerns about development, including a resident concerned about possible cave-ins of the old underground mines. Ray Fratini said that a 1980 study details subsidence areas, and does not mark any of these areas as overlapping with currently-submitted plans (though Bowman said this map should be posted publicly). Other residents voiced concerns about blasting, traffic, and the preservation of Cornwall’s character.
• Unanimously recommended council accept an agreement with Cornwall properties to reduce required recreation fees for the Cliffs by $43,000 in exchange for modifications to lots 115 and 114 (a total of .074 acres dedicated to the borough for Cobalt Alley), so that current residents along Cobalt Alley maintain parking space.

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.