Robeson Township supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to schedule a vote for a proposed zoning change that would allow business development along segments of the Route 10 and Route 724 corridors.
The agreement came despite another round of opposition from residents, some of whom have opposed the amendment since it was first proposed in March.
Resident complaints at previous meetings resulted in supervisors updating the amendment to its current form in September.
The amendment changes areas around Moyer Road and Miller Road to village commercial, while allowing six properties at Moyer Road and Weidner Drive to remain residential.
Other areas along Route 10 will remain R-1 residential, but with an overlay that allows zoning exceptions and conditional use, including for existing businesses.
About 50 attended, and a dozen spoke against the amendment during a public hearing on the subject.
Most who voiced opposition were concerned about how adding more businesses to the township would affect the safety of local roads.
“I think it brings unneeded or unwanted traffic in an already unsafe section of road,” said resident Charles Ledig. “You look at Robeson Township accident statistics. We’re the highest of surrounding townships.”
Supervisor Harold Steve Jr. said businesses would be responsible for modifying nearby roads to accommodate any impact on traffic.
Resident Kyle Ripka disagreed. He said an influx of small businesses would force the township to wait for the state to make vital changes to state roads.
“If you have a small engine repair shop, a beauty shop, a day care, once they start piling up, they’re gonna have an effect, and none of them are responsible for the infrastructure changes,” Ripka said.
About half of the residents who spoke publicly asked supervisors to review the proposed zoning map so they could determine whether the zoning changes would apply to their properties.
“Since the beginning of this, I’ve only heard I think one resident in favor of this,” said Matthew Setley, an attorney representing resident Radene Gordon-Beck. “It’s been universally opposed.”
Setley said supervisors should ask residents in areas being rezoned commercially if they would prefer to remain residentially zoned and, if so, grant them exemptions to the changes.
He said the rezoning could increase mortgage rates and make it harder for homeowners to sell their properties.
Ledig and other residents then questioned why supervisors were insistent on pushing through a zoning change that appears to have little public support.
Solicitor Christopher Hartman said the township is required by law to update land development plans every 10 years.
Hartman said the proposed zoning changes aim to establish legally required consistency with the latest land development update, the Southern Berks Joint Comprehensive Plan, a collaboration approved by Birdsboro and Caernarvon, Union and Robeson townships.
The comprehensive plan was established years ago during meetings that were sparsely attended by residents at the time, Supervisor Harold Steve Jr. said. He said the goal was to establish new areas of growth.
“Without these changes, you wouldn’t live where you live,” Steve said to Ledig, “That used to be a butcher shop when I was a kid. We have to have places to grow … you can’t be a community until you have places where people can gather.”
Supervisor Christopher Smith said the process of change was bound to upset some, and that what was settled on amounted to a compromise after months of negotiation.
Following the discussion, supervisors voted 5-0 to schedule a vote on the amendment for the township’s December meeting.
Hartman said the plan was to approve the zoning change at this meeting, but the township is still waiting on comments on the amendment from the county planning commission.
Source: Berkshire mont
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