Planning Commission

The Halifax Township Planning Commission held its regular meeting on August 5, 2024, with Chairman Jake Gruver presiding alongside members Randy Paul, Don Hentz, and Dwight Hoffman. Solicitor Bruce Warshawsky and HRG engineer Alex Greenly were also present; Chad Lebo and Tri-County Planning Commission representative Tanner Stroup were absent. The session focused on advancing two land development projects and discussing several pending ordinance updates.

• Anderson Land Development Phase 2 received conditional approval (4-0): The commission unanimously recommended approval of two SALDO waivers — exempting the project from the preliminary plan requirement (Section 403.1) and relaxing the location map scale requirement (Section 405.1.a.iv). A second motion granted conditional approval contingent on satisfying stormwater management, solar ordinance, and administrative comments outlined in HRG's July 30, 2024 review letter.
• Hale Land Development accepted for review (4-0): A new land development application was formally accepted. The project is structured in four phases because PPL limits approvals by megawatt capacity, and it is confined to Halifax Township because the terrain drops off in neighboring Jackson Township — suggesting a solar energy development.
• Sign ordinance under discussion: Randy Paul presented a sample sign ordinance for the commission to consider. The group discussed what provisions Halifax Township should include, but took no formal action.
• Small projects stormwater provision headed to supervisors: The commission discussed adding a small-projects exemption to the stormwater management ordinance, citing a significant cost difference for smaller projects. The item was slated for the Board of Supervisors' August 12 meeting.
• Three ordinance updates tabled: The new stormwater management ordinance, terminology updates, and flag lot ordinance were all deferred to next month.