Preliminary land development plans approved for Mountain View Country Club Hotel
The Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a preliminary land development plan for Mountain View Country Club Hotel.
The plan, drafted by Sweetland Engineering, proposes a hotel with 100 rooms plus conference areas, said Todd Shea, the township’s zoning officer.
Because Spring Creek flows through the property, the Subdivision/Land Development Ordinance requires a riparian buffer be established.
The buffer is either 50 feet on both sides of the stream or the width of the Federal Emergency Management Agency-mapped floodplain, whichever is larger, Shea said. In this case, the FEMA area is larger.
The developer requested a waiver that would reduce the buffer area by 29.93 percent, Shea said.
Board Vice Chairman Frank Harden said he attended the Planning Commission meeting when they discussed the riparian buffer.
Testing was done on water entering and leaving Mountain View property, and it’s actually cleaner leaving, Harden said.
Supervisor Nigel Wilson asked what the township would get from approving the riparian buffer waiver.
As part of the state Department of Environmental Protection municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) program, the Centre Region municipalities will work together to reduce nutrients and/or sediments from watersheds in the area.
The developer has agreed to give Harris Township the easements along Spring Creek it needs to get the MS4 credits, said Amy Farkas, township manager. That, in turn, will save taxpayers money.
The waiver was approved with the preliminary land development plan.
An Act 537 plan special study is also being prepared by the University Area Joint Authority, working with the Centre Regional Planning Agency, to extend a beneficial reuse waterline to Mountain View Country Club. The reuse water would be used to irrigate the golf course.
Sarah Rafacz: 814-231-4619, @SarahRafacz
This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Preliminary land development plans approved for Mountain View Country Club Hotel."