Meeting scheduled on new land-development ordinance
All residents of Menallen Township are invited to attend a public meeting regarding a new subdivision and land-development ordinance (SALDO) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Menallen Township Municipal Building, located at 427 Searights Herbert Road. Those attending the meeting will have the opportunity to learn about SALDO regulations and provide feedback.
Staff from Mackin Engineering Co., the consultant for the project, will be on hand to present information, facilitate discussion and answer questions.
The SALDO is an implementation project of the 2007 townships of Franklin, Jefferson, Menallen and Perry multi-municipal comprehensive plan. Menallen Township implemented a previous recommendation from the comprehensive plan by enacting a new municipal zoning ordinance in May.
Until recently, Menallen was under the direction of Fayette County in terms of both zoning and subdivision and land development.
With the proposed enactment of SALDO, Menallen Township will fully control all land use and land development activities within its boundaries.
According to Menallen Township Supervisor John Yantko, “Now that we have control over zoning, we also need municipal control over subdivision and land development to ultimately achieve our community vision. Our long-term goal is to foster sustainable development within Menallen Township that maintains our scenic countryside and open space while offering residents high-quality residential development choices.”
Specifically, Yantko said, the township is looking to provide its residents and landowners with a set of regulations expressly tailored to the township’s needs.
“The overarching goal is to establish a set of flexible, consistent policies for the township that can be easily adapted over time as conditions in the community continue to evolve,” he said.
Some of the areas of concern that the new SALDO will address include stormwater-management standards, landscaping and aesthetic requirements, the protection of natural features and sensitive environmental areas, and street system and design.
As a supplement to the new zoning standards, which permit conservation subdivisions, regulations for the approval and design of conservation subdivisions are also included.
Conservation subdivisions seek to provide residential development patterns that maintain natural settings and require less costly infrastructure by clustering housing units on smaller lots.
For more information, call Christy Burnside DeMuth, senior planner for Mackin Engineering Co., at 412-788-0472, or Yankto at 724-245-7108.