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County planners OK housing project
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BY JAMES LOEWENSTEIN
STAFF WRITER
The Bradford County Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the construction of a 52-home subdivision in Towanda Township, as long as the developer meets certain conditions within the next six months.
The development, which is called the Hemlock Hills subdivision, would be constructed off U.S. Route 220, approximately 500 yards south of the intersection with state Route 2027, said Tony Miller, an engineer with Stiffler, McGraw & Associates.
The first phase, which consists of 28 homes, would be built over the next five to 10 years, said Chris Roof, one of the owners of M.R. Dirt Inc., which is the company that is developing the property.
Construction of the second phase, which consists of the remaining 24 homes, could start before the first phase was completed, but M.R. Dirt would need to obtain approval from the Planning Commission for the second phase before construction of the second phase could begin, Miller said.
“It sounds like a lot of homes,” Scott Middendorf, co-owner of M.R. Dirt Inc., told the Planning Commission. “But these are very large wooded lots.”
The homes in the Hemlock Hills subdivision would be single-family homes, and the average size of the lots would be 2.1 acres, said Middendorf, who also owns Middendorf Contracting Inc. in Towanda. The sizes of the lots in the subdivision range from 1 to 6 acres, Roof said.
The homes in the subdivision will be hooked up to municipal water and sewer, Middendorf said.
The developers plan to sell the house lots to people who would like to live in the subdivision, Middendorf said. The buyers would be required to contract with Middendorf Contracting to build their home, he said.
“You can build the home of your dreams” in the subdivision, Middendorf said in an interview after the meeting.
The planning commission granted preliminary and final approval for the construction of Phase 1, subject to M.R. Dirt meeting certain conditions in the next months.
The main conditions that must be met are that M.R. Dirt Inc. must have its financial bonding in place and must provide a letter from the Towanda Fire Department approving the subdivision, county planning officials said.
Middendorf said he has bonding in place for other construction projects that Middendorf Contracting is involved in.
“I will try to finish up jobs to open up collateral to bond this,” he said.
The Hemlock Hills subdivision would have a main road and three cul-de-sacs off the main road, Miller said.
Due to the proximity of the subdivision to the Bradford County Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice that states that 50 of the 52 lots would constitute a “presumed hazard,” Miller said.
However, the F.A.A. does not itself approve or disapprove a housing development such as this one, Miller said.
The Towanda Township Zoning Hearing Board, though, did grant the necessary height variance for the subdivision, Miller said.
The variance was needed because the subdivision did not comply with the airport zoning for the Bradford County Airport, he said. Airport zoning is intended to protect aircraft from hazards in the vicinity of an airport.
In an interview, Miller said the real issue for the F.A.A. is that the hill on which the homes would be built is not far from the airport.
M.R. Dirt has secured the other approvals needed to start construction, including permits from the state Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Army Corps of Engineers, Miller said.
The second phase of the development will not proceed until a low water pressure issue is addressed for the homes in Phase II, which would involve either constructing a water pumping station or a water storage tank above the development, Miller said.
Bradford County Planning Director Ray Stolinas praised the developers, saying, “These guys have done their homework” in planning the development.
“I have confident that they will submit the items in a timely fashion” that are needed for the conditional approval, Stolinas said.
He said the housing development could help address a need for housing for employees in the gas industry if gas drilling in the area accelerates as expected.
James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.
The development, which is called the Hemlock Hills subdivision, would be constructed off U.S. Route 220, approximately 500 yards south of the intersection with state Route 2027, said Tony Miller, an engineer with Stiffler, McGraw & Associates.
The first phase, which consists of 28 homes, would be built over the next five to 10 years, said Chris Roof, one of the owners of M.R. Dirt Inc., which is the company that is developing the property.
Construction of the second phase, which consists of the remaining 24 homes, could start before the first phase was completed, but M.R. Dirt would need to obtain approval from the Planning Commission for the second phase before construction of the second phase could begin, Miller said.
“It sounds like a lot of homes,” Scott Middendorf, co-owner of M.R. Dirt Inc., told the Planning Commission. “But these are very large wooded lots.”
The homes in the Hemlock Hills subdivision would be single-family homes, and the average size of the lots would be 2.1 acres, said Middendorf, who also owns Middendorf Contracting Inc. in Towanda. The sizes of the lots in the subdivision range from 1 to 6 acres, Roof said.
The homes in the subdivision will be hooked up to municipal water and sewer, Middendorf said.
The developers plan to sell the house lots to people who would like to live in the subdivision, Middendorf said. The buyers would be required to contract with Middendorf Contracting to build their home, he said.
“You can build the home of your dreams” in the subdivision, Middendorf said in an interview after the meeting.
The planning commission granted preliminary and final approval for the construction of Phase 1, subject to M.R. Dirt meeting certain conditions in the next months.
The main conditions that must be met are that M.R. Dirt Inc. must have its financial bonding in place and must provide a letter from the Towanda Fire Department approving the subdivision, county planning officials said.
Middendorf said he has bonding in place for other construction projects that Middendorf Contracting is involved in.
“I will try to finish up jobs to open up collateral to bond this,” he said.
The Hemlock Hills subdivision would have a main road and three cul-de-sacs off the main road, Miller said.
Due to the proximity of the subdivision to the Bradford County Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice that states that 50 of the 52 lots would constitute a “presumed hazard,” Miller said.
However, the F.A.A. does not itself approve or disapprove a housing development such as this one, Miller said.
The Towanda Township Zoning Hearing Board, though, did grant the necessary height variance for the subdivision, Miller said.
The variance was needed because the subdivision did not comply with the airport zoning for the Bradford County Airport, he said. Airport zoning is intended to protect aircraft from hazards in the vicinity of an airport.
In an interview, Miller said the real issue for the F.A.A. is that the hill on which the homes would be built is not far from the airport.
M.R. Dirt has secured the other approvals needed to start construction, including permits from the state Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Army Corps of Engineers, Miller said.
The second phase of the development will not proceed until a low water pressure issue is addressed for the homes in Phase II, which would involve either constructing a water pumping station or a water storage tank above the development, Miller said.
Bradford County Planning Director Ray Stolinas praised the developers, saying, “These guys have done their homework” in planning the development.
“I have confident that they will submit the items in a timely fashion” that are needed for the conditional approval, Stolinas said.
He said the housing development could help address a need for housing for employees in the gas industry if gas drilling in the area accelerates as expected.
James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.
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