The second zoning hearing for a proposed warehouse and trucking terminal in the Cross Keys area of Hamilton Township was pushed back to late June due to a shortage of voting members present from the Zoning Hearing Board.
The rescheduled hearing will take place Tuesday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. and likely continue the next day on June 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the New Oxford fire hall, the United 33 Hook and Ladder building, 21 N. Bolton St. New Oxford, PA.
The Zoning Hearing Board granted a continuance at the request of the developer. With only two voting members present, a one-to-one tie vote would mean a denial of the zoning request. The applicant requested the continuance for this reason, desiring to wait until three voting members could be present.
The fire hall was filled, with attendees occupying nine rows of chairs and more standing in the rear. Members of the public had expected to make comments at this hearing after a previous hearing on March 28, 2024 was cut off after running until 10:30 p.m., not allowing time for public testimony.
Audience members expressed verbal frustration at Wednesday night’s announcement. One man yelled, “This is total bullsh**,” as people filed out of the building just five minutes after the meeting was called to order. Others were heard to express determination to continue showing up for future hearings.
The developer, NOBPA, LLC, is requesting a zoning exception and variance for the properties, concerning the setback area between the planned buildings and the roads, and a “special exception” needed for construction of a warehouse on the property, which is located in the commercial district.
The zoning board has previously stated that the building would be the largest in Adams County and that hundreds of trucks would enter and exit the property daily.
In Facebook pages for New Oxford residents and comments on local news websites, commenters have objected to the project based on concerns including increased traffic, noise, pollution and the cost of wear-and-tear on the road.
The proposed project, near New Oxford, is a combination of four existing plots into an 183 acre lot split across the eastern and western sides of Rt. 94 and Rt. 30. The applicant desires to build two multi-thousand square foot warehouses and two commercial buildings.
Warehouses may be constructed in the commercial district with the grant of a special exception, provided that the plans meet criteria laid out in the zoning code.
The attorney representing the applicant at the March 28 meeting said, “Courts have consistently held that a mere increase in traffic that is typical for a use permitted by special exception is not grounds for denial of an application.”
He said that the Zoning Hearing Board would be required by law to approve the special exception unless they could present evidence that the proposed plan would be “more adverse to the community than a typical warehouse.”
The traffic in the Cross Keys area is of local concern. The Adams County Transportation Planning Organization is conducting a transportation study of the traffic corridor and taking public input on an online survey. Cross Keys, along Rt. 30 approaching the intersection with Rt. 94 was listed as the most congested segment in the county in the Adams County Long Range Transportation Plan, adopted July 2022.
A similar project from the same developer was struck down by the zoning board in 2023. The board cited concerns about noise and traffic congestion, especially trucks, as well as the lack of “hardship” that would merit the exemptions.
The previous March 28, 2024 hearing can be viewed through Community media of South Central PA’s website.
Catalina Righter, freelance reporter, lives in New Oxford. She previously wrote for the Carroll County Times and the Kent County News, covering crime, education, local government and arts. She works as a legal assistant.
I sure hope this gets denied. The traffic this huge enterprise will bring in to an already congested area is definitely detrimental to our community – costly with road repairs, etc, too. We’re a farming community – how about keep the farmland as farmland, or perhaps use it for solar that wouldn’t bring in near the amount of traffic, pollution, and noise – plus helps out with energy.