A five-lot subdivision has been tabled by the Salisbury Township Planning Commission.

By a unanimous 7-0 vote, township planners at the Aug. 13 meeting, on a motion by Secretary Glenn Miller, seconded by Richard Hassick, tabled the preliminary plan for a major subdivision proposed by Plot 886, LLC, at 905 Flexer Ave. and 2882 East Texas Blvd. (Flexer Avenue).

The project proposes “the construction of five homes with a minimum lot size of 9,600-square-feet as required in the Rural Residential Zoning District of R-3 referenced as Medium Low-Density dwellings.”

The site is vacant land. The project was also tabled at the May 14 planning commission meeting. The planning commission did not meet in June and July.

The project is expected to be on the agenda of the next planning commission meeting, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10, in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners voted 4-0, with one commissioner absent at the July 11 meeting, to approve a motion to accept the granting of a time extension for the plan review of Plot 886 LLC. The plan was to expire July 24. The plan review has been extended to Sept. 13.

Five lots with a cul-de-sac are shown on the plan. The number of lots was reduced from nine lots for the 4.2372-acre property.

In his Aug. 13 presentation, Jeffrey Beavan, project manager, of Bohler Engineering, said project officials will comply with 18 comments enumerated in an Aug. 7 review letter by Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer, of Keystone Consulting Engineers, Inc.

“We intend to comply with everything in that letter,” Beavan said.

A significant, agreed-upon change is to move stormwater infiltration basins underground, which is intended to prevent standing water.

Regarding the comments in his review letter, Tettemer said, “The majority of them are stormwater related.”

Tettemer said the project requires waivers for lot depth to width ratio, impervious infiltration basin liner, low-flow infiltration and easements.

One item for planners to consider, Tettemer said, concerns location of street trees.

“They have the right amount of trees, but they’re not evenly spaced out,” Tettemer said of the subdivision plan.

The street trees are required to be about 40 feet apart, but the plan shows street trees to be 15 to 20 feet apart.

Beavan said the trees’ placement on the plan has to do with location of driveways and underground utilities.

Hassick recommended planting some of the trees on the lots. Tettemer said a waiver would be required for that.

Tettemer said a recreation fee of $1,500 per dwelling unit is to be paid at the time of the development agreement.

Salisbury Township Solicitor Atty. John W. Ashley said he has contacted South Whitehall Township officials and is awaiting a response concerning an intergovernmental agreement for sanitary sewer service to the development.

During the approximate 30-minute discussion of the plan, John Kern, a township resident, who said his property is adjacent to the proposed subdivision, said, “There’s a problem. About a tenth of an acre in the plan, that is my land that I don’t want anything built on. This property has been maintained for 45 years.”

“Do you have a deed to the land?” Salisbury Township Planning Commission Chair Charles Beck asked.

“No,” Kern said.

“You can mow it for 100 years and it won’t matter,” Salisbury Township Planning Commission Vice Chair Richard Schreiter said,

However, Ashley said, “If you are using the property, you can acquire it by adverse possession. He’d have to go to court to sue the owner.”

Ashley said he’s represented clients in similar cases. “I’ve done it twice when it’s been mowed lawn.”

Dev Kannan, who lives in the vicinity of the proposed subdivision, asked, “Can we get a ballpark of how close the homes are going to be built?”

Tettemer showed Kannan a copy of the map for the subdivision, noting setbacks are 40 feet from a property line.

Kannan asked about potential stormwater runoff generated by changes to the land as a result of the subdivision.

Tettemer said Commonwealth law states a development cannot increase runoff to an area.

“We’re looking very closely,” Tettemer said.

“Until we get this refined, we’ve got some stormwater administration work to do. I recommend it be tabled,” Tettemer said.

In other business at the Aug. 13 meeting, planners reviewed a proposed ordinance “establishing regulations and standards that govern and regulate the grading of land modifications of the natural terrain, the alteration of drainage, and the maintenance of drainage necessary to control soil erosion, the issuance of grading permits providing for the enforcement thereof, and providing for penalties in the event of a violation thereof.”

Ashley emphasized to the planners, “This is an amendment.”

A key change would be restricting new impervious surface to 2,000 square feet and non-impervious surface to 500 square feet. That would be a reduction from impervious surface of 5,000 square feet and from non-impervious surface of 2,000 square feet.

During the approximate 30-minute discussion, Salisbury Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka said to planners regarding the proposed amendment, “That was submitted for review and if you have any suggestions.”

An amendment to the township zoning ordinance must be recommend by planners and approved by the township board of commissioners.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Aug. 22 in township municipal building.