It has no name, but a proposed development has a big thirst
that's making some East Earl residents nervous.
At its meeting Monday, April 21, East Earl Township's zoning
hearing board heard a presentation on the water supply for a proposed
development of retail stores, restaurants and 350 homes at 4996 Division
Highway, just east of the intersection of Routes 322 and 897.
The development has not yet been named by East Earl LLC,
four partners who bought the 45.6-acre former Pyle farm in 2007 for $900,000.
In 2010, East Earl's board of supervisors granted their request to rezone the
land from Residential to Commercial Neighborhood, with a Smart Growth
Neighborhood Option.
At Monday's meeting, the partners asked for relief from a
requirement that land with that zoning be served by public water. Blue Ball
Water Authority, the developer says, cannot supply what it needs, so East Earl
LLC proposes building its own system and eventually turning it over to the
Authority. A well has been drilled.
Brent Good of engineer ELA Group, Lititz, presented a sketch
plan with a tree-lined "boulevard entrance" from Route 322, leading
to a network of streets, lanes and three small parks.
Before the meeting, Good compared the finished project to
Richmond Square, a planned community in Manheim Township. Good said the plan
was "conceptual for now. With a favorable decision tonight, we'll start to
refine it. To keep moving forward, we can't wait for the Authority. They don't
have the capacity."
Good testified that the development, to be built in phases,
will have 350 housing units of "different types," including duplexes
and apartments above businesses.
Phase 1 will have 65 housing units, of a type undetermined,
and 40,000 square feet of commercial space, requiring 90 Equivalent Daily Units
of water. The Blue Ball Water Authority defines one EDU as 250 gallons of water
per day. Good said the Authority has only 31 EDUs available, and "is not
seeking new well sites."
Larry Miller of Miller & Sons, the firm designing the
system, testified the proposed water system will be sized to draw 90,000
gallons per day, or 360 EDUs. A 170,000-gallon underground storage tank will
have booster pumps and "a small building" for water treatment.
Several residents whose properties adjoin the tract
expressed concern about the impact such use could have on their own wells.
"There's no entity out there looking out for the homeowner
and their wells,” said Ruth Troop of 4938 Division Highway. “If the township
grants this variance, they should look out for the neighbors.”
Galen Weaver, of 4910 Division Highway, asked if nearby
homes would be forced to hook up to the new system if and when the water
authority takes over. He got no answer. The Authority was not represented at
the hearing.
Miller testified that his company operates more than 200
public water systems and has built "several" similar to the one being
proposed. He said his company conducted a "draw-down test" last July,
pumping 90 gallons a minute for 72 hours.
Questioned by Chairman Glenn Martin, he revised that number
to 55 gallons per minute. Miller said the test dropped the well's water level
by only 2 feet, which “looks very, very good." He said no drop was
detected at nearby wells monitored during the test. Miller did not offer
documentation of the test, or name properties where wells were monitored.
Township solicitor Frank Mincarelli told Good the Authority
and the township have been seeking new well sites since last year. The
township, he said, does not want to see a public water supply "run
privately ad infinitum. The supervisors support the application on the basis of
it being dedicated” to the Authority.
Mincarelli presented a list of conditions for the developer
to meet to obtain the supervisors’ support. The conditions include:
• Application for approval to the Susquehanna River Basin
Commission.
• Construction in accordance with requirements of Blue Ball
Water Authority, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the SRBC.
• Dedication to the BBWA within five years.
• A water tank with capacity for firefighting use.
Source:
LancasterOnline
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