Butler Township approves development subdivision plan
BUTLER TWP — Commissioners approved the subdivision plan for the proposed Delhurst Woods residential development during their meeting on Monday night, Feb. 17.
The proposed development would be located off Delwood Road, near Route 422, and would consist of 29 single-family homes located on an 18.86-acre parcel of undeveloped and wooded land in a residential zoning district.
“There is a national shortage of housing, as many people know,” said developer Dominic Oliver. “A lot of people are concerned about affordability, and Butler Township, specifically, is seeing a lot of construction now, after many years of very few new homes being built. We are excited to add to that with this project.”
During the meeting, Oliver touted his company’s success in planning and building the Highfield Trails housing development, located near Butler Township Park and the Highfield Community Center.
“It was a great success,” Oliver said. “It sold out much quicker than we’d anticipated. They're finishing up the homes. We'll be finishing the paving and the common areas this summer, but it's officially sold out.”
Project engineer Bob Beining of Sheffler & Company touted that the plan is in compliance with township requirements for cluster development — a type of residential development in which buildings are concentrated upon a specific area so the remaining land is dedicated to open space. Of the 18.86 acres, 11.55 acres will remain open space.
In addition, the plan features two ponds to address stormwater management needs.
As part of the subdivision plan, the developers asked for, and received, a modification to allow for one of the roads in the development to exceed the township’s maximum allowed grade of 10% for roads longer than 300 feet. According to Beining, the road in question is 740 feet long, and the plan is for a road grade of 12%.
Commissioners approved the plan contingent upon meeting a set of seven conditions. These included complying with a letter from Gateway Engineers from earlier this month, executing a stormwater operations agreement and posting a financial security approved by the township solicitor.
Following the board’s approval, Oliver said he is aiming for construction to start later this year.
“We expect it to sell out early again like Highfield,” Oliver said. “It should be a nice boon to the township.”
During the discussion, zoning officer Jesse Hines mentioned a power line that crossed through the parcel. In response, Beining said the developers reached out to the power company, which was not named, to propose relocating the power line to support the new development.
“We are proposing relocating that line along the road frontage towards the property boundary and then reconnecting,” Beining said. “We’ve been working with the power company for that.”
