Friday, November 15, 2002
The planning director wants to put signs at six or seven entrances into the county.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County is nearly finished with its comprehensive plan.
The plan, a blueprint for future development in the county, is about 90 percent finished, said James Gagliano, county planning director.
The county has been broken down into municipalities and school districts, and planning for those regions is outlined, said Gagliano in a report to the county planning commission on Thursday.
The plan also calls for the county to identify "gateways," or entrances, into the county where signs would be placed informing people they are entering Lawrence County. He said signs are being designed and they would like to place them at six or seven major access points in the county.
Subdivision requests
In other business, the county planning commission considered three subdivision requests.
The commission reviewed the plan for Emerald Estates, a plan of five lots on Old Pittsburgh Road in Wayne Township, and gave its recommendations to the Wayne Township Planning Commission, which must give its approval before a plan is considered by township supervisors.
The county planning commission gives recommendations only to communities that have their own planning commissions. If a community does not have a planning commission, then the county can approve or deny a project.
Plans tabled
The county planning commission also tabled two other plans. One in North Beaver Township, called Flat Rock Development, a 53-acre plan with 13 lots, is still being reviewed by the North Beaver Planning Commission.
The other plan, in Ellport Borough, was tabled because commission members wanted to know about road maintenance. That plan calls for six new homes to be built behind the former elementary school on Pa. Route 488. The homes will be built on a dead-end street and developer Joe Tomon is asking for an exception allowing him to avoid building a cul-de-sac.
Everett Bleakney, a planning commissioner, questioned how the borough will remove snow without a cul-de-sac to turn around. He also questioned how emergency vehicles will get in and out of the property.
Ellport Borough does not have a planning commission, and the county will have the final say on the project.