South Whitehall Director of Community Development George Kinney presented information on zoning and other factors regarding land use to residents at an April 11 meeting at Springhouse Middle School.

Hosted by the township board of commissioners as a workshop session, the gathering also included information on the review process from South Whitehall Planner David Manhardt and an update from Kay Builders on the proposed Ridge Farm development.

During several previous meetings, many residents spoke out against the project on Huckleberry Ridge which covers 190 acres and includes 741 housing units and 75,000 square feet of commercial space.

Kinney began by stating a landowner has a Constitutional right to use and enjoy his or her property, subject to federal, state and municipal regulations.

Township guidelines are established in the comprehensive plan and zoning classifications.

“We can only review a plan against what the zoning allows it to be,” Kinney said. “If the landowner wants to down zone the property, they can make that request, but that typically doesn’t happen.”

He explained the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Code brought forth in 1968 gives municipalities the right to zone and allows for preparation of a comprehensive plan, a subdivision and land development ordinance, and the zoning ordinance.

Kinney noted the Huckleberry Ridge property, north of Walbert Avenue and east of Cedar Crest Boulevard was zoned R-2 and R-4 in 1974.

The “R” is for residential, and the numerals specify how many housing units are permitted on an acre.

In 1991, about 25 acres of the R-4 was changed to R-10, and a few more were added in 2014.

Community Development Manager Gerald Harbison recalled that at that time the state was urging municipalities to provide a fair share of multifamily housing, and South Whitehall was top heavy in single-family dwellings.

“We had to look for sites for multifamily housing, otherwise, someone could come in and challenge the ordinance,” Harbison said.

Kinney reported a national trend is to have places residents can go without a car.

In the 2009 comprehensive plan and the 2014 zoning action, the Traditional Neighborhood Development overlay provides for mixed land uses which would enable residents to walk to shops and restaurants.

Kinney stated the TND has design standards built in so the architecture looks nice and provides flexibility in off-site improvements, primarily roads.

Following comments from residents regarding the size and density of Ridge Farm and the impact on their properties and quality of life, commissioners stated the development complies with the township zoning ordinance.

Commissioner Glenn Block commented on the issue.

“We’re absolutely going to monitor the development but we have to consider the constraints we have to work with and stay within the law,” Block said.