Exactly nine months after rejecting an initial proposal, Ferguson Township supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a request to rezone 71.4 acres of Harner Farm property for commercial and residential use.
The Harner family and prospective developer Aspen Whitehall have been working since last spring to rezone part of the land along West College Avenue and West Whitehall Road from rural agricultural to general commercial and residential. With the decision, 27.1 acres are now zoned commercial and 44.1 acres for single-family residential (R-1).
Ferguson Township Community Planner Lindsay Schoch said the Harners will maintain 33 acres as rural agricultural and will keep the farm store near the corner of West College Avenue and West Whitehall Road.
The Harners have owned the more than 100-acre farm since 1945 and last spring put up for sale more than 70 acres of the property. Dan Harner said last year the family was looking to downsize its farming but to still keep the market and family homes on the property. The Harners and Aspen Whitehall sought to rezone with a mix of commercial, R-1 and two-family residential (R-2).
That request was denied in September after some community members and supervisors expressed concerns about the proposed 44 acres of commercial zoning, as well as the density of proposed R-2 zoning near existing single-family home developments.
The new proposal brought forward this spring decreased the commercial zoning by 16.7 acres and removed the R-2 component entirely. Those changes came after Aspen Whitehall received feedback from the supervisors and had discussions with neighboring landowners.
‘I think the changes that were made support what the community was looking for,’ said Supervisor Sara Carlson. ‘I think it was responsible of the board to look at what was going on and make sure this was an appropriate use of the land, but at this point the plan looks good.’
The commercial zoning will be at the front of the property adjacent to College Avenue, while the residential will be further back and abut existing residential areas. A new road system on the property would have entry from West College Avenue, opposite Cato Avenue.
Michelle Spiering, board president for the condo association of Golden Orchards, one of those neighboring residential areas, said her neighborhood and others had concerns about the previous proposal’s amount of commercial acreage but believe Aspen Whitehall has addressed the issues brought forth by residents.
‘We think Aspen Whitehall has listened to us and tried to address some of the concerns of neighboring residents and the input from various township and Centre Region boards,’ Spiering said.
She added that Golden Orchards residents were happy to see plans for a potential bike and walking path bordering the new residential area. She also said the plan helps address a need for R-1 housing in the community.
Harner Farm has, over the past few decades, become surrounded by commercial and residential property. Across College Avenue is commercial property and within 15 feet of the farm boundary are single-family homes and townhouses.
The property is within the regional growth boundary, and since 2000, it has been designated as mixed-use in the regional comprehensive plan land use map.
Rezoning is just the first step for any future changes to the property. The developer will still be required to submit land development plans for approval before any development occurs.
