© 2009 by Joel Buckley
Note: 06/05/2009 - this is a rough draft report of breaking news. I will try to expand on the information in this report when I have a chance.
07/03/2009 - link to draft June 2009 plan added.
A lawyer representing the Hershey Trust showed up at the Planning Commission meeting on Monday 6/1/9 and complained about the changes made to the Comp Plan in January. Link to report on Jan 2009 Changes. Link to Draft June 2009 Plan.
In response, the Planning Commission (suffering from Comp Plan fatigue) once again CHANGED the proposed Zoning for the parcel below the Elementary school, this time from Agricultural to Low Density Residential (the equivalent of its current zoning of Residential Suburban).
This would allow Residential only (no commercial like Mixed Use) minimum lot sizes of 15000 sq ft (Mixed Use would have been 10000 sq ft). (This is actually what the current zoning is.)
If you read the report in the Sun on June 3, it stated the Trust's request had been rebuffed. This is not quite accurate. They did NOT get the 600 acres of Eleeomysonary (Trust) Zoning they had asked for (that was left at 250 acres). And while they did NOT get back the Mixed Use Zone they asked for, they did get a change from Ag to LDR, which is a significant change.
Even after getting this partial concession from the Planning Commission, I would NOT assume that the Trust is done with its efforts to change it back to Mixed Use or to get the full 600 acres of Trust Zoning it had in the August 2008 plan.
In my opinion, while this is not as bad as the Aug 2008 Plan, it is not as good as the Jan 2009 Plan. (It is actually much more like the Current Zoning.)
Sincerely, Joel Buckley