Politics & Government
Middletown Council Talks Possible New Development, Zoning Change
Council also discussed signage at a few RTM School District schools and recognized an Eagle Scout for his hard work at Monday's Middletown Council meeting.
Council discussed the possibility of a business-enhanced residential development, called Ponds Edge at its Monday meeting. Council also discussed signage at a few Rose Tree Media School District schools located within the township and council recognized an Eagle Scout for his work on a walking path project.
Eagle Scout Recognized
Council recognized Eagle Scout Ryan Plummer, a Middletown resident and junior at Christian Academy High School in Brookhaven.
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For his Eagle Scout project, Plummer renovated a portion of Sunrise Senior Living's walking path that had fallen into disarray. He planted flowers and butterfly bushes and created a memory walk, containing three signboards around the walking path with questions written on them about residents' past.
"Residents can ask the questions to each other, or to the people who work there," Plummer explained. "It would help their mental health and encourage them to walk around the walking path for their physical health."
Changeable Signs Approved for Schools
Schools in Middletown's R-1 district can now display manual changeable message signs up to 20 feet in dimension if they so choose, following a unanimous vote Monday night at Middletown Council's regular meeting.
The amendment to Middletown's zoning ordinance came before council at the request of , because 's PTG asked to donate a sign to the school.
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"Township planning council did express some concern about kids being kids and changing some letters around," Township Manager Bruce Clark said, "so I hope that the design could include some type of cover so they couldn't be doctored up."
The amendment affects , and .
Business-Enhanced Residential Development (BERD) Discussed
Council spent about an hour at its Monday meeting discussing a proposed business-enhanced residential development, Ponds Edge, which would be located at 1318-1328 W. Baltimore Pike. The developers have not formally applied or formally introduced the plan to council, but they have been working with the township to develop the plan before moving forward.
The plan for Ponds Edge includes both a residential area that would contain 207 to 227 residential units (mostly townhomes) and a front commercial parcel, facing Baltimore Pike, that could house a restaurant or office building, and a "community-related commercial village."
The plan calls for mixed residential and business districts in a way that no current zoning district in Middletown encompasses, and so a new zoning district, business-enhanced residential development or BERD, has been presented by the developers for consideration by township council.
Councilmember Mark Kirchgasser told Vincent Mancini, a representative for the developer, that council was pulling for this design, but classifying the design as an R4 district would somewhat simplify the process.
"I think we can work with this," Kirchgasser said. "My personal belief is that we should handle it as an R4, because … that takes a whole process out of this application and we can focus more directly on this commercial piece in the front."
Mancini disagreed.
"We can't get through with R4," Mancini said, noting that the plan contained unique design features that would require a substantial number of conditional use applications.
The plan has not been formally introduced, and so can't be voted upon, according to Township Solicitor Joe D'Amico.
The developers approached the township seeking input, because the plan is considerably different from a typical development plan, Clark said.
Council voted unanimously to approve the action of sending requests for review of the plan to the township planning commission and the Delaware County planning commission.
The plan will likely come before the planning commission at its May 8 meeting.
Other News
At the request of the applicant, council tabled J&V Developers' public hearing until council's May 14 meeting.
Following discussion, council continued the hearing for Sweetwater Valley LLC's final subdivision plans until the next council meeting due to several concerns, including Township Engineer Art Rothe's request for more time to review the plans.
