A developer has plans for a 90-room hotel off Westminster
Drive in South Middleton Township.
The three-story hotel would be on a six-acre tract of
undeveloped land. Township supervisors received the plans this week and plan a
public hearing March 27.
"It seems to fit the zoning, which is general
commercial," Supervisor Tom Faley said. "In that zone, hotels are
allowed as a conditional use. However, it's in the airport hazard zone of
Carlisle Airport."
That means the developer, Carlisle Investment Properties,
will need to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and the
state Department of Transportation. The FAA limits building heights around
airports to create a "safety zone" for pilots, said Supervisor Bryan
Gembusia.
William "Doc" Kronenberg, former mayor of
Carlisle, is among the partners who own the land. He said negotiations are
ongoing with a major national hotel chain that he declined to name.
"We feel it will enhance South Middleton Township and
bring some good tax base to the township," he said this morning.
The property is adjacent to Interstate 81 and Route 74 in an
area that has seen heavy development over the past decade. Carlisle Crossing
shopping center opened with Kohl's department store in 2005. It was followed by
Target, Pier 1 Imports, Old Navy, PetSmart and other tenants a year later.
In July 2007, a Rite Aid drugstore opened at the Route 74
entrance to the shopping center. If approved, the hotel would be within walking
distance of the entire area.
The property is also within the "exceptional
value" portion of nearby LeTort Spring Run, Faley said. The designation
requires owners to get approval from the Department of Environmental Protection
for a National Pollution and Discharge Elimination System.
Traffic is another issue in the area, Faley said.
"I'm concerned," he said. "I think they need
a more detailed traffic study that includes the unique characteristics of the
affected intersections."
Source: Central
Penn Business Journal
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