Antrim favors official map

Whether Antrim Township should adopt an official map was the question

supervisors pondered at a worksession March 1. Zoning officer Sylvia House

presented a draft of a map, which she explained was not a base map or a

zoning map or a road map. It was an ordinance.

Former zoning officer Angela Garland had drawn up a sample map and ordinance

before leaving Antrim employment in 2008, and House said, as her successor,

she did not know what should be done with it.

An official map, she pointed out in a presentation, incorporated parts of a

Comprehensive Plan with regard to existing and proposed public streets; road

widening,   abandonments or intersection improvements; current or planned

parks, or open spaces; and walkways and easements.

House listed the pros and cons of an offical map.

The benefits included that the map could be created without a surveyor,

would alert property owners of proposed improvements on their land, gave the

township the ability to deny permits for improvements that would encroach on

future public land, and would not be require the township to follow through

on any of the changes shown on the map.

The downsides were that a survey would be needed if the township acquired

land, the map was not a taking of land so it did not provide rights to any

property, a land owner could ask the board of supervisors for a special

permit if he encroached future public land and could appeal a decision with

the Zoning Hearing Board, and Antrim would have one year to obtain a

property or begin condemnation proceedings from the day an owner legally

announced he wanted to do something with his land.

According to the Municipal Planning Code, if Antrim adopted an offical map,

it would allot a 45 day review period and then hold a public hearing.

What to include

Supervisors  Rick Baer, Sam Miller, James Byers and Fred Young III asked

about roads not yet in existence.

House said the draft included Nova Drive extended, which connected with

Rosebud on Route 16 West; Grindstone Hill Road extended all the way to U.S.

11; Moss Spring extended to Route 16; Walter Avenue to Rosebud; and a bypass

from U.S. 11 through school property to Route 16.

³Antrim is not committed to these roads,² House reiterated.

Miller saw no downfalls to the draft.

Supervisors suggested adding the Shared Use Trail to the map, including a

path through Shadow Creek Estates to Kay Street in the borough. They offered

suggestions of other routes throughout the township.

The four, joined by Curtis Myers at that time, agreed they wanted a map and

asked House to confer with staff for more details to be put on it. The issue

would be brought up at a later meeting and once everyone approved it, would

be presented to the public.

House announced that the Comprehensive Plan Committee would meet at 2 p.m.

March 10. Members were House, Graham, Young and Byers representing the

township; Duane Kinzer, Paul Schemel and Kenneth Womack representing the

borough; and Greg Hoover and William Thorne representing the school

district.