Dramatic change in plans
An editorial in Sunday’s edition about Crystal Springs Properties’ plan to build a golf course and upscale residential neighborhood in Springhill Township was not totally clear on the facts. The 283-acre parcel, owned by Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, is zoned for industrial use and is located in a Keystone Opportunity Zone. Crystal Springs is asking for a change of zoning to allow for a community development in the KOZ that in essence would forgive property and income taxes for 10 years for anyone living in the proposed development.
We think it unwise for the county to jump at the Crystal Springs plan as it runs counter to well-formed plans. The county has done an admirable job in planning the way its future will look, and Fay-Penn deserves some of the credit for heavily pushing the planning process. Through strategic, comprehensive land-use and zoning plans approved by the county commissioners, many in the public and private sector worked hard to draw the blueprints of choice places to encourage development. Zoning plays a key role in deciding how a community should look: where the businesses can go, the light and heavy industry, the neighborhoods. Once areas targeted for development were carved out, incentive packages, such as tax abatement or forgiveness programs, were approved to get the ground turning.
While every plan can withstand a bit of tweaking, major shifts need judicious thought. Such is the case with the Crystal Springs Properties request. This isn’t just any undeveloped parcel of land. It is land primed for industrial development.
Further, the county never intended for residential development within a KOZ. The question did arise when Fay-Penn first pitched the concept to the commissioners but it was quickly dismissed because the economic development agency said it was focused on jobs, not homes. Crystal Springs’ plan changed the minds at Fay-Penn. It shouldn’t so easily sway the commissioners who can turn down the zoning change request, keep this land for industrial development and steer the Crystal Springs developers to land outside the KOZ.