To the Gettysburg Borough Council members,
Council should not immediately rezone the properties in the revitalization district West of Carlisle St. to allow 72 foot heights. Furthermore, this important vote on the comprehensive zoning reorganization, whatever its outcome, should be held after the first of the year when new councilmembers have been seated.
Six story buildings are not in keeping with Gettysburg’s charm and feel, and local residents have spoken out against them. A petition with 100’s of signatures opposing the idea has already been delivered to you. A recent survey by Gettysburg Connection puts the ratio of “No” to “Yes” opinions about tall buildings at about 6 to 1. Your own planning committee, after a very extensive review, rejected the idea.
Have you listened to your constituents? You each represent hundreds of them. Are you really willing to ignore their concerns?
As Mr. Moon has repeatedly pointed out, once a parcel is zoned for a taller height, the borough cannot stop a developer from building to that height. The Station Project developer Tim Harrison seems open to citizen input, but what if we get a developer who isn’t?
Moon has argued that taller buildings will bring more affordable housing and more tax money. But there has been no housing study and no financial study, even for the Station Project, so we really don’t know. We also don’t know what problems this development might bring. Downtown traffic continues to increase, and parking is getting more and more difficult. There has been no traffic study, even for the Station Project. A number of downtown businesses have recently moved to the Outlet Malls, making it difficult to imagine how the retail space in new buildings would be filled.
The prices for these apartments are not likely to be affordable, given the current costs of new construction. And there are thousands of apartments being built across the county. There is no requirement for low-income housing in the zoning.
Costs associated with the Station Project may well equal or exceed any new taxes we receive from it. We may need more police officers, fire equipment, and parking lots.
In short, by voting to allow these buildings by right, you are opening a can of worms that could potentially haunt future councils who will have to deal with this. The council is always free to grant a variance if they want taller buildings. Allow them to decide.
Finally, this important vote should not come from the current lame-duck council. It should be held it in January after the new council is seated. Jeff Rioux’s vote from Ward 1 is critical, as is Chad-Alan’s Carr’s replacement as the at-large member. These new councilmembers will be responsible for the outcomes of this decision. Let them help make it.
Well said Chuck, and it needs to be said, especially for those who may be unschooled or unaware of the machinations of city councils [aka: politics]. There appear to be NO studies done on housing or financial ramifications of some of these decisions for our town? And I agree, all of this should wait until after the new year when the new members take their seats and offer further contributions, and perhaps studying these issues in more depth.
I might add that the whole premise of huge modern buildings in the Historic District is so preposterous that some in Gettysburg wonder “Who’s on the take?” (a comment seen just yesterday on Borovent). I don’t subscribe to this, but voting for more structures like the Station Project diminishes the reputation of Council and breeds suspicion of its motives. Yes, it may seem ridiculous that someone here is being bribed, but even more ridiculous is the plan for spewing beltway style buildings within our Historic District. NO other historic town would allow such a compromise of their history and legacy.
Good summary of the issues, and good idea to let the new Council members actually vote on the ordinance, since they will be dealing with any outcomes. First, it needs to be fixed. There are more issues than the height. The most recent offering by President Moon was pass it now, and it could be fixed later. Many residents spent hours on research, writing, attending meetings for public comment, mostly to no avail. The only thing changed was Moon’s desire to remove vape stores from Baltimore Street for safety reasons. The disregard and dismissive attitude toward the Planning Commission process… Read more »
Well said Chuck! I listened to the Planning meetings for the past year and you said it very clear what residents have been saying; no housing or financial study, where is the evidence that this will benefit Gettysburg.
Thank you for doing a survey too. 6:1 against tall buildings – WOW.