Peters Township Council Eyes Zoning Change

Peters Township Council spent nearly 90 minutes in a public hearing, listening to opinions from residents and a land owner over a proposed zoning change for a property located along E. McMurray Road, adjacent to fire station number one. Andrew Zahalsky owns two parcels of land that are zoned as a mixed residential overlay. On one parcel he would like to develop a senior care facility. On the second, he would like to develop a neighborhood with 80-90 townhomes. It is the townhome property that the township wishes to rezone. At issue is the recent finding that five residential lots exist at the front of the property and Zahalsky does not wish to consolidate those lots into the bigger lot. County tax maps and township maps did not identify these lots when the property was rezoned to its current status in the mid 2010s. The half acre lots were subdivided in 1959. It was that reluctance to consolidate and a disagreement on funding of a traffic signal that has caused an impasse in development plans. The township questions the ability for a traffic light installation if the consolidation does not take place. Zahalsky presented new plans to the township on Monday morning. He was represented by an attorney that has been retained only in the last week. Public opinion was in favor of the rezoning, citing traffic and safety concerns. Zahalsky is claiming spot zoning issues. The public meeting was continued until April 22 to allow three absent council members the time to study the testimony. Council will close the meeting in two weeks and possibly vote on the measure that same night.