Legacy Park phase one approved for North Strabane

North Strabane Township supervisors approved Tuesday, with a 4-1 vote, the final site plan for phase one of Legacy Park, a planned development of 175 townhomes and multi-family units.
The supervisors had denied the plan in March, citing traffic safety concerns, but the developer appealed the denial last week in Washington County Court.
Legacy Park Land Partners LLC first submitted an application to the township in September 2016 to construct 63 townhomes in the first phase, followed by 112 condominiums in later phases. The development would connect to Linden Road and Route 519, areas that supervisors said would be impacted by traffic problems.
In its appeal, Legacy Park said that its consultant conducted a traffic study that concluded “the plan will not substantially increase traffic in the neighborhood.” The appeal said that the development also had a highway occupancy permit from the state Department of Transportation and that the planning commission had approved the first phase.
Legacy Park claimed in the appeal that the township wants it to have two access roads in the first phase, since it will have more than 50 units. The plan is to have Linden Road as the first access road in phase one, and to have Route 519 as the second access road in later phases of the project.
Township Solicitor Gary Sweat said that at the time the board denied the plan, Legacy Park had not produced the highway occupancy permit for Linden Road, which is a state road, and that the supervisors hadn’t reviewed the traffic study.
Aaron Mikec, senior project manager for Legacy Park, requested the supervisors reconsider their decision during Tuesday’s meeting. He also assured the supervisors that sight distance at the Linden Road entrance will be increased by cutting back hillsides on Linden.
“We’ve now presented the traffic study to you,” he said. “We’re requesting approval of the final site plan for phase one.”
The supervisors held a brief executive session before approving the plan, with the acknowledgement that Legacy Park will still need approval for phase two, which is expected to include access to Route 519. Harold Close was the only no vote Tuesday.
“I’m still very concerned with the safety of the people coming onto that road,” Close said. “I know we were kind of handcuffed in this.”
Afterward, the supervisors approved an amendment to the subdivision and land development ordinance “requiring all residential developments exceeding 50 parcels to provide for two vehicular access points.”