Plans that called for the construction of a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse complex in Swatara Township were unanimously rejected by commissioners at a special meeting Monday.
Mushroom Hill, LLC, a group of investors from Conshohocken-based CRG Integrated Real Estate Solutions, made a request to the township last year for a conditional use permit. The permit was needed to construct four warehouses that crossed over into a zone that doesn’t allow warehouses.
The complex would’ve been between Route 322 and Chambers Hill Road.
Swatara Township commissioners rejected an application to construct a warehouse off of Route 322.
Photo: Smith Land & Improvement Corporation, Oct. 8, 2019.
Four public meetings were held – a continuation of a public hearing – on the matter since October 2019. Commissioners finally had their say at the special meeting.
“I’ve studied, I’ve listened to the people for four meetings, I looked at transcripts again, the exhibits, and information from the codes department, and there’s no way the applicant fulfilled all the requirements that they were supposed to,” said Commissioner Richard Bouder, who made the motion to reject the application. “This was a slam dunk for me.”
Swatara Township’s staff influenced President Tom Connolly’s vote the most, he said. Their research noted that the applicant supplied “deficient” information and “details were lacking,” Connolly said.
“They basically pointed out that they felt the application itself was incomplete and lacking some detail,” he said. “It would be very hard for me to go against that when that’s the department that we rely on.”
Going forward, Connolly said he would like to see residents continue to stay involved in the local governing process.
“They are happy with the outcome for now,” he said. “Realistically, this will go through other steps and stages, and there may come a time where something changes and they’re not happy. But, tonight I think all the commissioners had the same conclusion based on the testimony.”
Residents and staff were most notably concerned about traffic counts and environmental concerns as well as what the warehouse would house in it.
A tenant had not been identified, according to testimony from Frank Petkunas of CRG. Petkunas had said the hope was to create 300 to 400 jobs.
“[The vote] has nothing to do with being for or against that developer, the landowner or the project itself, or any other project that would happen on that property,” Connelly said.
Connelly said there’s a chance that Mushroom Hill, LLC could “appeal” the township’s decision.
Swatara Action Team members greeted residents at Monday’s special meeting, asking for them to sign a petition request to rezone a portion of the township back to how it was zoned in 2017. Photo: Jana Benscoter
Eric Epstein, part of Swatara Action Team, said the commissioners did the right thing.
“This is democracy in action,” Epstein said. “And, it’s very heartening to see a community have their voices heard and I think it’s something people should pay attention to. A lot of time people become apathetic. This is the opposite. Throughout this whole process, the community was involved, courtesy and engaged.”
The community needs to continue to be involved with the Swatara Township comprehensive plan and Dauphin County comprehensive plan, Epstein said. A zoning change that would allow for more developments like the warehouse complex that was made in 2017, residents also need to be vocal about revisiting it, he added
“Tonight’s not the end, it’s a new beginning,” he said. “I think the way that 165 acres of land is developed should be a shared vision.”
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