The Gettysburg Planning Commission hasœ voted unanimously to extend the time period of its review of the Gettysburg Station development plans to September. This was expected and will allow all parties to continue with the technical review and impact studies required for a plan of this scope, borough staff said.
If the developer does not request another extension in the future, the Planning Commission will vote on land development plans at their September 15 meeting.
When land development plans are submitted, the Planning Commission must act on them within 90 days if an extension is not permitted. Borough attorney Adam Boyer explained that the intent of the time limit is to ensure boards cannot sit on a project indefinitely, refusing to take action.
But it is common for extensions of that 90 days to be granted, as in this case.
Planning Director John Whitmore said that this Friday, parties will meet for a technical review meeting to address the infrastructure needs of the structure. This will include Gettysburg Municipal Authority (who oversee water and sewer services), the Gettysburg Fire Department, the borough’s engineer and planning staff, Adams County planning staff, and engineers and architects working on the development.
Whitmore also encouraged the public to get involved in the update to the Heritage Component of the Adams County Comprehensive Plan, which will be accepting public comment until July 28th. More information is available through the Adams County Office of Planning & Development.
Before the end of the meeting, Vice-Chair Nicholas Redman asked the public to remember that the Planning Commission is tasked with evaluating projects against the zoning code and subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO), and cannot “flat out approve or deny” based on personal opinion.
“So while people may feel very passionately about this one project, and I do respect that and appreciate that, just think about what you would then be asking us to do, which is disregard the rules that we’re supposed to use to govern the town, and you know, blanket deny something when we don’t have the power to do that. . . . If all projects were just up to the personal opinions of the Planning Commission, I don’t think anyone wants the town run that way. So as we’re having this conversation, I think it’s important to remember that we are not here to decide personally whether projects happen. We are here for a very specific reason, and we are here to make sure that the rules that are already in place, that were already voted on by the borough council, are being followed.”
So I would encourage all of you, if you personally feel that there are other options, other recourse, for this project, talk to your borough council member. Have a conversation with them, get their thoughts on what could or could not be done with this project. I don’t want to abdicate responsibility, but I also don’t think we should be adding responsibility to this Planning Commission that it is not legally vested to do.”
Three people spoke during public comment in opposition to the Station project in general.
One resident of W. Lincoln Ave. expressed concern about the height of the building project shadowing the nearby Gettysburg Interfaith Gardens Senior Apartments and Harold Court building and depriving the residents of sunlight during the day. He said he had spoken with a Harold Court resident who worried about the wellbeing of himself and his emotional support animals. The commenter asked the Planning Commission to consider denying the project on the basis of impacts to “health, safety, and welfare” of Borough residents.
Commission member Martin Jolin said it would be possible to request an impact study of the shade created by the Gettysburg Station project and said he would be in favor of that.
Others spoke about potential increases in traffic and the effect on the historic character of the town, citing the petition from nonprofit group Save Historic Gettysburg. Multiple op-eds regarding the project have been published by Gettysburg Connection in recent weeks.
The traffic impact study for the project is still in process and has not yet been released, borough staff said.
One commenter, who identified himself as a retired city planner, made some suggestions about the review process itself. He suggested that Gettysburg Borough’s land use review process might be changed to mirror other municipalities, where the Planning Commission makes a recommendation, but the final approval vote goes before the Borough Council. This way, the ultimate vote would be made by the elected officials of Borough Council rather than Planning Commision officials, who are appointed by Borough Council.
The Planning Commission’s website states: “Final development plan approval is vested with the Planning Commission – a notable difference from other planning commissions across the state, where planning commissions are advisory bodies and final development plan approval is vested with the legislative body.”
Chair Chales Strauss said discussion of the Gettysburg Station project will probably continue at every meeting of the Planning Commission until September.
The next meeting of the Planning Commission is scheduled for Monday, July 21 at 7:00 p.m.
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.