By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

One of the main topics of discussion at the Oct. 15 Heidelberg supervisors’ meeting was the preliminary review for the Waterloo Ridge major subdivision.

Engineer George White of JHA Companies, representing Waterloo Estates, told the board the subdivision includes four residential lots of single-family dwellings, plus a remainder tract of 10 acres - also for use as residential lots - along Heidelberg Heights Road in the rural zoning area.

Township engineer Chris Noll discussed a list of comments from the planning commission regarding the subdivision.

He, White and the board also discussed issues related to stormwater drainage and infrastructure.

Noll pointed to a waiver request from curbing and sidewalk installation which was supported by the planning commission.

He said, however, there was a blind curve on Heidelberg Heights Road and said the commission asked for widening the road shoulder to 10 feet and would in turn waive the curbing and sidewalk.

Noll also said the roadway improvements and shoulder widening would push the lot sizes in the development over 1 acre, which would require the completion of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

White said all the development’s lots were planned to be developed independently, without shared utilities or roads, which would exempt them from the NPDES process.

He noted if there is any road widening work which benefits all the lots, then the permit process would need to be undertaken.

He said the hardships of the permits would fall on the subdivision’s eventual landowners who would need to go to the county to obtain minor permit modifications if they ever want to make changes to their properties.

Regarding the 10-foot shoulder request, White said the widening would require the regrading and movement of a steep embankment, as well as the relocation of a utility pole, storm pipe inlet, several guy wires and the removal of two large trees.

He proposed stopping the road shoulder at the planned development’s final driveway as to not invite pedestrians to continue walking on the inside of a blind curve.

White also voiced concerns with having residents parking on the road with a 10-foot shoulder, and proposed instead to include a 5-foot-wide shoulder, and to work with Noll around the various obstacles, which he said would provide additional flexibility for field adjustments.

Chairman Steve Bachman said residents already walk along Heidelberg Heights Road without an expanded shoulder.

“If you’re going to develop, you got to make it safer because they’re not going to stop walking,” Bachman told White, adding it scared him to keep the shoulder any narrower than 10 feet for safety reasons.

Noll said a wider shoulder would keep people further off the roadway, as well as any drivers who would park on the road.

He noted that according to the township’s SALDO, there was a requirement for at least an 8-foot shoulder with curbing and sidewalk in any case, regardless of the number of lots.

Supervisor David Fink said one consideration for 10-foot shoulders was as a potential selling point for homeowners looking for an overflow area for gatherings.

White agreed with Bachman’s comments about safety, but said the requested width was “excessive” and reiterated a 5-foot shoulder would allow for pedestrian traffic, dissuade residents from walking in the blind curve and provide a connection from the new development in the Heidelberg Heights community.

He said the plans included a cost/benefit analysis, and if the road improvements would be required, the developer would need to hold additional consultations with clients and possible redesign the plan to balance costs.

White said he would ask for preliminary approval of the plan but noted the plans may be withdrawn in the future.

Board members confirmed their preference for a 10-foot shoulder through a motion for safety reasons, and also voted to grant preliminary approval for the subdivision.

Supervisors also voted to grant four waivers for plan scaling, curbing installation and shoulder swale stabilization, concrete sidewalks and fire hydrant installation, while two other waivers for street improvements and preliminary/final consideration were withdrawn by White.

Conditional use for the subdivision’s sewage planning module was also granted by the supervisors.