Motion denied

Planning commission denies recommendation for mega-warehouse

By VICTORIA HOFFMANN
Posted 8/30/22

MILFORD, PA — It didn’t go as the developers planned. The Milford Township planning commission unanimously denied the application for a 450,000-square-foot mega-warehouse that would have …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Motion denied

Planning commission denies recommendation for mega-warehouse

Posted

MILFORD, PA — It didn’t go as the developers planned. The Milford Township planning commission unanimously denied the application for a 450,000-square-foot mega-warehouse that would have been constructed on the interchange of Route Interstate 84 and Route 6.

A battle between LVL Engineering, the company behind the proposal, and environmentalists, town members and governing authorities, including the Milford Water Authority, has been ongoing since the first mention of the project in early July.

From the planning commission position, the denial has occurred because of LVL’s failure to provide proof that the project will meet specific requirements of the application, including the effects the warehouse would have on Milford Springs, the freshwater source for Milford and Dingmans Ferry. In response, LVL and their supporting legal representatives have noted inconsistencies with ordinances in their conditional-use application. They indicated that they were willing to conduct further studies once the project was approved.

“We have a lot of homework to do. There has to be, at minimum, a hydrogeological study, probably a large study, on the site,” said Mike Gable, the project’s lead engineer. He argued there was no need for prerequisite testing until after a recommendation was given, as he claimed it was not outlined in the application. His reason for holding out on testing was the price, which he estimated to be $50,000.

The planning commission insisted that the conditional-use application required the underground water testing. The non-residential project was on unique land, so testing was critical to Conditional Use 407. The commission stressed that the importance of groundwater testing is to make a decision and meet the general public’s concerns.

“If this was an above-ground drinking water source, like a reservoir, instead of a drinking source like an unconfined aquifer below the ground, would we be floating warehouses in the middle of our reservoir?” asked Vito DiBiasi, a party of interest and member of the Friends of the Milford Aquifer. “Then why is it different if our drinking water is 30 feet below?”

“If you’re going to put this project on without the studies, once you do that [the studies], how do I go back and put that on the use?” said commission solicitor Tom Farley. “This township may need conditions on the actual water flows based on those studies. And he [Gable] won’t do them.”

Attorney Joseph Piperato, representing LVL, argued that it was never stated that testing was required, nor had Gable done this before with previous projects.

“I did not see the requirement for any specific studies in the section you mentioned,” said Piperato.

Farley said it was under “groundwater studies” and to “look at it.”

The groundwater study would cover the impacts of stormwater, wells, sewer and stormwater infiltration in the surrounding environment, which encompasses many of the interested parties’ concerns. However, without the proper testing being done and failure to match specific requirements, the commission had to come to a negative recommendation.

“The applicant had not met the specific and objective standards of 407 and 608 of the township zoning ordinance, and findings will be sent to the supervisors later,” said chairman Robert DiLorenzo.

Of the commission members, there was no opposition; all agreed to deny the recommendation. The recommendation would be a crucial step for the Milford Township supervisors to go ahead and give the approval to start the project.

The Milford Township Board of Supervisors will rule on the project at the continuation of the public hearing on October 3.

Milford Township, mega-warehouse, LVL Engineering, Milford Water Authority, study

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here