SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — After four years of work, a plan for South Whitehall Township's future has been finalized.
South Whitehall's Board of Commissioners adopted the township’s new comprehensive plan at its meeting Wednesday.
- South Whitehall's Board of Commissioners adopted a new comprehensive plan at its meeting Wednesday
- The plan is a guideline for future efforts and developments in the township. It has been in development for four years
- Resident Mark Bradbury, who has spoken on behalf of several developers at past meetings, is concerned that changes to the zoning ordinances based on the plan will prohibit certain types of development that now are allowed
“I have champagne in the car,” Director of Community Development Dave Manhardt said, jokingly, at the meeting.
The plan's creation kicked off in March 2019 and continued with many in-person and virtual meetings taking community input.
Most recently, township staff held an open house in January for residents to learn about and comment on the plan’s draft.
What is a comprehensive plan?
A comprehensive plan sets out long- and short-term goals for housing, transportation, infrastructure, preservation, zoning and other aspects of a municipality.
In other words, it is a guideline for where future efforts and developments should go and what they should be like.
2023 SWT Comprehensive Plan by LVNewsdotcom on Scribd
The previous comprehensive plan was adopted in 2009.
Township officials soon will use the comprehensive plan to amend zoning ordinances, which likely will change what types of developments are allowed in certain areas of the township.
Township Planner Gregg Adams said previously that participating in creation of the plan was the main way South Whitehall residents could stop future development they wouldn't like.
“Once this is adopted and the zoning ordinances change, basically it's a lot harder to stop development,” Adams said in September during the process of creating the draft.
Feedback for the plan
Resident Mark Bradbury, who has spoken on behalf of several developers at past Board of Commissioners meetings, was the only resident to comment during the public hearing.
Bradbury said Adams previously reassured him that the base zoning districts in the township will not change.
“Use it as a guide, not a sword. That's all I ask.”Mark Bradbury, South Whitehall resident who has spoken on behalf of developers at past meetings
But Bradbury said he is worried township officials will add new requirements to those districts to limit certain types of developments that previously were allowed.
He said that potentially could be disruptive to developers and business owners who have made plans based on the current ordinances.
“If…all of a sudden the rug is pulled out from under you, it's kind of a real slap in the face. It's tough to take,” Bradbury said.
“Use it as a guide, not a sword. That's all I ask.”
Board President Diane Kelly thanked township staff for their years of work and for letting residents provide so much input to the plan.
“I want to thank you for bringing the community together, and the product that has come out of this is excellent," Kelly said. "And I look forward to the next steps."
Commissioner Monica Hodges said she was glad there were clear implementation goals included in the plan, unlike the in the previous plan.
“What good is it if we do it, we spend all the work on it, and we put it on the shelf and don't come back and revisit it?” Hodges said. “So I'm really happy that that was done.”
Commissioner Jacob Roth said township staff and the board need to ensure that those implementation goals are completed.
“I think that will have just as much of an impact on our community as the long, community-centered development of the [comprehensive] plan,” Roth said.
The Board of Commissioners will discuss the implementation of the plan in future meetings.
