Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Susquehanna Township plans Tuesday hearing for mixed-use Vartan development



Susquehanna Township commissioners will hold a public hearing Tuesday over proposed changes to the township ordinances that would accommodate a major mixed-use project at the corner of Linglestown Road and Progress Avenue.

Developer Vartan Group Inc. has proposed a town-center-style community on 58 acres at the intersection of the two main roads. The public hearing will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Thomas W. Holtzman Jr. Elementary School on Linglestown Road.


The Vartan plan, which became public about two years ago, calls for a mix of single-family homes, a senior-living campus and a variety of retail and other commercial buildings, including a limited-service hotel.

The township's planning commission recently recommended the creation of a traditional neighborhood development district, or TND, for the site. If the board of commissioners agrees to the changes, Vartan's project could then enter the land development phase and eventually begin construction.

The TND essentially imposes a higher level of design standards on the developer that will guide the "look and feel and form of the development," township manager David Kratzer said. For example, the existing zoning has no standard on public spaces, while the TND does.

The changes give the township more predictability on the final outcome of the project, while also providing greater flexibility in permitted uses for the developer.

Vartan has projected 32 single-family homes and about 175 to 200 age-restricted independent living units on the senior campus. The company also expects to erect about 24 commercial buildings on the tract, with most on the smaller side to attract local and regional businesses.

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