Change in character? New zoning could bring denser development to rural Benner Township
A new proposed zoning ordinance could bring more dense development to Benner Township, a prospect that has some residents concerned.
Benner, a largely rural township about 10 miles from Penn State, has experienced significant population growth over the past decade, adding about 50 percent more people between 2010 and 2017, according to the Pennsylvania State Data Center in Harrisburg.
The new proposal, first introduced in November and updated in mid-February, would allow 1/3-acre lots on land zoned for forested conservation and agricultural with access to public water and sewer services. That’s a change from the 2009 zoning ordinance — commonly known as the Roth Plan — which permitted 1/2-acre lots in those areas.
Nearly 80 percent of the township is tagged as forested conservation or agricultural lands, said 16-year resident and Planning Commission member Nate Campbell.
“The density that they’re going to allow changes the character of the township,” Campbell said.
Under the proposal, the township would change zoning to allow 1/3-acre lots in several developments, such as Opequon, Crestview and Hampton Hills. It also would permit high-density residential zoning in the Village of Nittany Glen, accommodating duplexes on 1/8-acre lots and high-density, single-family homes on 1/5-acre lots.
Meanwhile, areas zoned multi-family residential — including the developments of Paradise Hills and Amberleigh — would permit up to six quadraplex units on a two-acre lot.
A developer could add sewer service to an approved housing development anywhere such homes are allowed, said Warren Miller, executive director at the Spring Benner Walker Joint Authority.
Several land parcels within the forested conservation and agricultural areas already have public sewer access — like Valley View — and others have public water systems, such as Grove Park, Buffalo Run Heights and Willowbend. Many homes in the township use on-lot septic tanks and private water systems.
Supervisors are considering a plan to bring public sewer to the area near Shiloh Road, which is zoned commercial and forested conservation.
Development on the horizon
Benner Township Supervisor Randy Moyer said the township worked with Nittany Glen developer Berks Homes — which bought the property from the previous developer — to create zoning that fits with the available lot sizes. He said the supervisors wanted to allow high-density zoning in a small part of the township.
“We want (Berks Homes) to be successful,” he said.
John Kostes, a resident of Benner Township, said he moved to the area for its rural feel. But he is concerned about the 1/3-acre lots the new zoning ordinance would allow on agricultural lands that have access to public water and sewer. He lives in the Grove Park housing development, which is located next to a farm in the agricultural zone.
“I guess people don’t necessarily want to see dense housing put in right next to us,” he said. “Personally, I do not want to look out my window and see a block of townhouses that most likely will be filled with university students.”
Moyer said the township supervisors worked with farmers in the area to come up with zoning laws permitting more lots — a provision that makes the land more attractive to developers.
“In 2009, we had nine active dairy farms, and now we have two with one in the process of going out of business,” he said. For many farmers, the farms are “their retirement,“ he said, and the new zoning laws make it easier for farmers to get a better price for their land if they choose to sell.
Campbell doesn’t think permitting 1/3-acre lots is the answer to helping farmers.
“Development’s going to happen, and nobody wants to take the rights away from the farmers,” he said. “But it’s a balance, and it’s trying to find that balance that works for everyone.
“This is going to change the character of Benner Township and what it looks like, and it’s going to hit our wallets eventually, down the road, as development comes in and more services are needed.”
Environmental concerns
Besides changing the character of Benner Township, development could pose environmental issues, said Campbell.
The zoning proposal lacks direction on environmental protection standards, he said. A section on the environment is missing, and the ordinance points to existing Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Environmental Protection regulations, but does not go into detail.
Under the Roth Plan, an entire article speaks to environmental protection, including review procedures, resource protection and management, riparian and wetland buffers and forestry uses, among others.
Asked why that article doesn’t appear in the latest proposal, Moyer said the Spring Creek Canyon and “any place that’s sensitive is already protected in the forestry conservation zone.”
Anyone who wants to develop within the forested conservation zone must go through an extensive permitting process and comply with stormwater management and other EPA protocols, he said.
Sue Hannegan, Centre County interim planning director, said her office is reviewing the latest draft from the township and will submit comments.
Earlier comments from the county planning department, submitted in November after a similar draft, raised concerns for Campbell.
“The allowance of 15,000-square-foot lots is counter-intuitive and inconsistent with the intent of these (agricultural and forested conservation) districts,” read the comments. “This minimum lot size should be deleted and provided for in a separate and/or expanded district that can be located where public services are readily available.”
In the commercial and industrial zones, the county planning office identified more potential environmental issues. The maximum impervious lot coverage of 80 percent in both districts could increase heavy metal pollutants in stormwater runoff, staff wrote.
If adopted, the new zoning ordinance would repeal the Spring Creek Canyon Conservation Overlay adopted by supervisors in 2010 to protect surface and groundwater in the region and minimize site disturbance to promote conservation.
Moyer said the supervisors wanted to repeal the overlay because it was “so restrictive” to the several private property owners in the canyon. Mostly, he said, management of the canyon is left to state commissions.
Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the township building, 1224 Buffalo Run Road, to discuss public comments received for the proposal. At their April 8 meeting, they will hold a public hearing and plan to vote on the new zoning the same night.
This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 7:04 PM.
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