North Strabane residents file appeal of conditional use approval for housing plan
A group of North Strabane Township residents seeking to stop the development of a 35.5-acre housing development along Peters Lake have filed an appeal of the supervisors’ approval of a conditional use application.
According to a press release from Friends of Peters Lake, those filing the appeal are Linda Lopez, Matt Maniet and Pamela Maniet, all residents of North Spring Valley Road. The appeal was filed with the Washington County Court of Common Pleas.
The residents are being represented by Joshua Ash, the director of the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh.
In May, the North Strabane Township Board of Supervisors approved Laurel Communities’ conditional use application for The Collective at Peters Lake. Approval came with several conditions the developer of the 41-home project must meet, including a traffic impact study, water quality testing and an extension of the public water line the length of North Spring Valley Road.
Friends of Peters Lake hope the legal action will overturn the supervisors’ decision.
“According to the appeal, the board granted a conditional use permit despite the developer not addressing serious concerns regarding environmental degradation, preservation of open space and protection of pristine views in a treasured natural area,” reads the release.
Township Solicitor Gary Sweat acknowledged the lawsuit at a North Strabane supervisors’ meeting Tuesday.
“It’s quite an expansive pleading. There are a lot of exhibits attached, and I have not had a chance to review it yet,” Sweat said.
When reached by phone Wednesday, Sweat said he had no comment on the legal action. According to Sweat, the township has 20 days to file a response.
The Collective development is still in its early stages. Township manager Andy Walz previously said it could take up to a year for the developer to receive a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection.