Residents of North Manheim Township packed a meeting of its supervisors on Tuesday night, all to tell the elected officials once again that they’re vehemently opposed to a warehouse project proposed on farmland off Route 61.
Earlier this year, the township was approached by Crossroads Commercial Development that wants to purchase land known locally as the Biever tract, located a distance off Route 61 near the the Schuylkill Racquetball Club.
At a meeting last month, however, township Solicitor Mark Koch – when asked where the land being proposed for development was – gave a rather ambiguous answer, indicating multiple parcels could be involved.
The Canary has since learned that neighbors of the proposed development area have already been approached by Crossroads Commercial Development to purchase their properties.
On Tuesday, the township didn’t really provide any new information to residents – about 80 who packed into the meeting – on the proposed warehouse project. At this point, Crossroads Commercial Development has given North Manheim a proposed draft ordinance calling for an overlay zoning district, which would allow the project to be built on what’s now zoned Residential-Agricultural.
That draft ordinance has been sent out to “professional entities” for review, Koch said.
Koch added that the township is “just considering what they proposed to us” and that no one has decided one way or another at this point.
“This is a piece of paper to take a look at, to consider something in the future,” he said.
The idea of an overlay district and the warehouse project itself are what’s drawing the ire of the residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting. They all made it very clear they want no part of the project and implored North Manheim supervisors to flat out tell Crossroads Commercial Development they don’t want their project here.
Koch told the residents that giving the developer a curt “no” could result in a legal challenge by Crossroads Commercial Development.
Still, residents insisted that supervisors reject the project, even going so far as to tell them that their jobs were on the line if they were to approve the project and that they’d be willing to sue the township.
A public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting filled every second of 90 minutes when residents vented their frustrations that the proposal has even gotten to this point.
Barbara Miller told supervisors she believes the warehouse project violates two goals of North Manheim’s Comprehensive Plan: maintaining the rural character of the township and preserving farmland.
“I have real concerns over how you apply an overlay district to accomplish commercial and industrial uses in an ag(ricultural) district,” Miller said.
Mark Alonge, who owns farmland neighboring the proposed project, is worried of the impact on the current landscape in that area.
“This would create a disaster for us,” Alonge said. “What we’re concerned about is the unknown here and there are a lot of unknowns.”
Alonge also worried about where the investment money is coming from for this project, speculating that Chinese money could also be behind it.
Ralph Thomas also questioned supervisors about his concerns over potential tax breaks sought by the developer, meaning the project may not be the revenue boon that North Manheim may be anticipating from such a project in the area.
“You have to be sure that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Supervisors chairman Wayne Bowen told Thomas that he wouldn’t support any request for tax breaks from the developer.
Residents also expressed concerns over truck traffic that would result from a warehouse development in the proposed area as well as flooding issues.
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