Plan draws traffic concerns
Ralph Bush of 37 Woodside Drive, McDonald, told Cecil supervisors that his neighbors are illegally raising chickens and that he has to deal with their waste and erratic behavior without help from the township.
Betty Robison and her daughter, Heather, of Southview, make their case for raising chickens in Cecil by pointing to cupcakes made with farm-raised eggs that they say turned out better than those made with store-bought eggs.
CECIL – Chickens and roads will be on the list of issues Cecil Township supervisors plan to decide at their May meeting after a public hearing Tuesday.
Supervisors listened to public feedback on a proposed residential development tied to road alterations on McConnell Road, as well as ordinance revisions regulating livestock.
Supervisors heard final testimony on a proposed development from NVR Inc. that would place a mixture of 292 family town homes along McConnell Road on 126 acres. Major concerns from residents and supervisors were with road alterations and increased traffic.
“I’ve put down road for over 20 years. As this (intersection plan) stands now (for Burnside Road), I’m not buying what you’re selling. It’s not going to fly,” Supervisor Frank Egizio said.
Egizio was skeptical of the plan from NVR to widen a sloped hill intersection to allow greater visibility for motorists turning from and onto Burnside from McConnell Road. Residents also expressed dismay at increased traffic on local roads.
NVR project manager Andrew Hutchinson said engineers also have mapped out revisions for a safer, wider intersection for Muse-Bishop and McConnell roads.
“We’re trying to not disrupt the area while giving greater visibility,” Hutchinson said.
Township engineer Dan Deiseroth said NVR’s plans checked out.
“There were some sight and distance issues, and pushing all these points back (at these intersections) improves the right of way and visibility for everyone at those stops,” Deiseroth said.
The board voted 4-0 to close the hearing. Supervisor Cindy Fisher was absent. Solicitor Chris Voltz said the board must, within 60 days, take an up-or-down vote on the proposed development’s application request after two previously continued hearings.
The board also discussed ordinances regarding cell tower setbacks and allowing chickens to be raised in the township.
Dennis Sluciak of 47 Grudevich Road said the township should keep its cell tower setbacks at 1,000 feet from a property line.
“There’s no negotiating power here. You’re removing what little power residents have to push back on these big companies if one of these towers is going to negatively impact someone’s land,” Sluciak said.
The revised ordinance proposal replaces 1,000-foot setbacks from property lines to 500 feet from any residential structure or 150 percent of the height of the tower, whichever is greater.
“This is a matter of us potentially getting sued and losing everything we’ve worked on if we don’t have a valid ordinance. We have to have provisions in the township for every type of business,” said board Chairman Tom Casciola.
Crown Castle has been held up under current ordinances in trying to build a new tower behind a state Department of Transportation storage building on Lewicki Road. TowerCo, a competitor to Crown Castle, has appealed its denial of a bid to build a similar cell tower at 216 Cumer Road.
Betty Robison and her daughter, Heather, of Southview, came with cupcakes to make their case to allow residents to raise chickens.
“Look at the practical health benefits,” Robison said, pointing to a batch of cupcakes that looked lighter and fluffier than another pan of desserts she held in her hand, which looked spongy. She claimed the “healthy-looking” batch was prepared using farm-raised eggs in the batter as opposed to the dense batter from store-bought eggs.
There’s currently no ordinance regulating or allowing chickens in Cecil Township, but as the Robisons displayed, residents are doing it anyway.
Supervisor Elizabeth Cowden, who pitched revising animal and livestock ordinances to allow residents to raise chickens, said the time has come to “legitimize the notion that allows someone to raise their own food” in residential areas. Floated proposals included allowing as few as two hens on a half-acre lot. Heather Robison said she would be fine with four hens allowed for every two acres. There was an apparent consensus among supervisors and residents to prohibit roosters.
One vocal and longtime critic has been Ralph Bush of 37 Woodside Drive, McDonald, who has said his neighbor’s chickens make his living situation a nightmare.
“I’m not against the chickens themselves, but this board and this township is not enforcing anything. I just want there to be regulations, because these chickens come over and do their business all over my porch; they eat my bulbs in my garden. There’s just so many in this little coop and no one is keeping track,” Bush said.