Central Dauphin School District board of directors unanimously approved a resolution Monday night that requests conditions be placed on a developer’s proposed application to construct a warehouse complex off U.S. 322 in Swatara Township.
Mushroom Hill, LLC, a group of investors from CRG Integrated Real Estate Solutions, wants to develop a 1,196,000-square-foot complex comprised of four buildings on 165 acres. The land is currently owned by Smith Land and Improvement Corporation.
The location is bounded by U.S. Route 322 to the north, Mushroom Hill Road to the east, residential properties to the south, and PenHar Drive to the west, according to the resolution. The proposed project is close to Central Dauphin School District property and bus routes.
The three requests the district is making include:
- ensuring student safety at the seventy-three (73) bus stops located on Chambers Hill Road; the district is urging government agencies to restrict tractor-trailer traffic on Chambers Hill Road
- establishing buffer zones behind Chambers Hill Elementary School to limit access to the property
- continuing discussions with school district officials as to the status of the project
Mushroom Hill needs commissioner approval for a commercial use permit to move onto the next phase of development and construction. One of four proposed warehouses is not within a zone that allows construction of a warehouse.
The township will host a third public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the township’s administrative building, 599 Eisenhower Boulevard. Residents can continue to cross-examine the investors.
Hundreds of residents attended the first two public hearings. A group of residents that oppose the project have organized into a group called Swatara Action Team.
“Residents are concerned about a number of issues including the project’s impact on their neighborhood, increased air, noise and light pollution, and safety challenges caused by truck traffic on Chambers Hill Road,” said Eric Epstein, a member of the group.
Epstein said he thinks it’s in the best interest of the commissioners to delay a vote due to CRG’s lack of “evidence, facts, and supporting documentation” that do not address issues raised by the community.
“The vote should be delayed until such time that the commissioners have reviewed testimony from community residents,” he said. “Or, they can reject the application and request CRG re-file a fact-based application incorporating community priorities.”
The group has been meeting weekly to discuss the proposed project as well as meeting with key stakeholders, he said. CRG hasn’t responded to requests to meet with them.
At the last public hearing held in November, residents said they think commissioners don’t have enough information to cast an informed vote. Commissioners have 45 days to decide if they are going to approve or deny a conditional use permit when the public hearing has concluded.
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