The Sienna Village development is to be located along Route 228, near the Weatherburn Heights neighborhood in Middlesex Township. Butler Eagle File Photo

MIDDLESEX TWP — The Middlesex Township supervisors are preparing for an upcoming residential development by making sure that new residents can safely travel by road when the complex opens.

At the monthly work session Wednesday, Aug. 2, the board voted to apply for a grant that would go toward a new traffic signal at the intersection of Route 228 and Weatherburn Drive, near the planned location for the Sienna Village residential development.

The grant would come from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund. If awarded, the municipality would have to match the grant with local funding of at least 30% of the amount of the grant.

For example, if Middlesex received a grant of $100,000, then the township would have to provide $30,000 of its own money.

Although Middlesex Township has not issued any building permits for the development yet, construction is continuing on the site where Northwest Land Company plans to build the complex.

“They would need to submit to the township; the township would review and approve,” said township manager Jeff Winkle. “But at this point, we can’t approve any (building) permits for Sienna Village.”

Middlesex Township conditionally approved the Sienna Village project in April after preliminary approval in 2021. As of April, plans for the development include 82 townhouses and four duplex homes.