Washington Twp. gives up road to developer

July 21, 2009|By JENNIFER FITCH

BWAYNESBORO, Pa. -- The Washington Township Board of Supervisors on Monday relinquished its rights to Lumar Avenue and gave a woman preliminary approvals needed to create 72 more units in apartment buildings along the road in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.

Mary Lindquist will take over ownership of the 500-foot road near the intersection of Pa. 16 and Jacobs Church Road. The township will no longer be responsible for snow plowing or maintenance.

However, the decision opens a 30-day period in which residents can file objections to the road abandonment at the Franklin County Courthouse.

Lindquist's land development plans show nine buildings with eight units in each. She already owns 54 occupied units at the site.

Lindquist said she hopes to start construction next spring, depending on the state of the economy.

In other business, the supervisors granted land development approval for an AT&T cell tower in Zullinger, Pa. The 190-foot monopole received conditional-use approval in April and will be built on Wharf Road land owned by Donald Zody.

The board also agreed to write a letter supporting the Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue Squad's application for almost $1.3 million in stimulus grant funding. The department would use the money to build a substation in Rouzerville.

The supervisors said they'd write the letter, but also send one to the department saying that they don't have money to commit to the project.

"Even if we get this, other things might not fall in line," department administrator Patrick E. Fleagle said.

He said obtaining land remains a big obstacle.

"I don't get excited about these grants because, one, you might not get them and, two, they might fall through," Fleagle said.

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