Middletown Approves 2012 Budget, Townhome Plan; Tables Rails-To-Trails

passed the township's 2012 budget, approved preliminary plans for the Skycrest townhome complex, and tabled voting on Rails-to-Trails plans until Jan. 9, in a 4-1 vote at a two and a half hour meeting Monday night.

Councilmen Doug Roger and Mark Kirchgasser were absent from the meeting.

2012 Budget Approved

Council unanimously approved its 2012 budget at Monday night's meeting. The plan does not call for a tax increase for residents and will continue to provide all the services the township provided in 2011, according to Council Chairman Scott Galloway.

Galloway noted that in the past 17 years, the township has only raised taxes twice: once in 2006 as approved by residents, to purchase the Smedley Tract, and once in 2010 "because we had to," he said. Galloway also mentioned that Middletown has lower tax rates than all but three or four of Delaware County's 49 municipalities.

Skycrest Townhome Plan Approved

Council approved Elwyn Inc.'s for the development of 112 townhomes on the more than 28 acres of land along Baltimore Pike opposite School Lane. 

Council also approved the zoning redesignation of two of the 28 acres the development will sit on from R1 residential to SU-2, Special Uses, and approved a text amendment to permit single family, attached dwelling units under the SU-2 ordinance.

Rails-To-Trails Plans Tabled (Again)

The bulk of council's two and a half hour meeting on Monday night concerned the Rails-to-Trails project, which will convert a 2.8-mile stretch of unused SEPTA line between Chester Creek Road and Lenni Road into a 10-foot paved trail for walking, running and biking.

At council's focused on concerns from residents who live close to the trail in Glenloch or Old Mill Point. After hearing resident concerns, council voted at the Nov. 28 meeting to table voting on the Rails-to-Trails plans until the Dec. 12 meeting.

Again on Dec. 12 following concerns from residents, council ultimately voted to table the plans again to Jan. 9 in a 4-1 vote, with Council Vice Chairwoman Lorraine Bradshaw casting the dissenting vote.

Resident concerns focused on security, engineering problems and parking. Specifically, homeowners in Glenloch and Old Mill Point whose homes butt up against the trail said they can see and hear people walking on the trail, and in some places, the slope from their homes to the trail is gradual enough that anyone on the trail could easily walk onto their property. Several people asked that fences be installed for security purposes, and reiterated the need for a police presence.

Galloway said that even though council had discussed voting on the plan that evening, he would like to walk the trail with the homeowners before voting on the plan, as he was unable to attend when homeowners and Rails-to-Trails consultant Steve Todd walked the trail two weeks ago.

He asked that council consider tabling a vote on the plans until council's next meeting on Jan. 9, "with a firm commitment to take action that night one way or another."

Councilmember Russ Carlson motioned to table the plan until Jan. 9, with a second from councilmember Norm Shropshire, who said he really wanted to see the plans passed, but would wait until Jan. 9, "out of respect for our chairman."

"I think [Friends of The Chester Creek Branch] have worked really hard and shown a willingness to meet the conditions of the people, and I think they deserve approval tonight because they're down, and I think everyone supports the idea of Rails-to-Trails," Bradshaw said after the meeting. "The Radnor Trail has had great success and … I think Rails-to-Trails will resolve any issues, and these same people in two years are going to be ardent supporters of the trail."

The next Middletown Council meeting will be Monday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Middletown Township building.