10/30/2003 - In
response to land ownership questions about
its proposed Community of Liberty, a planned
residential development between Fairfield,
Pa., and Emmitsburg, Md., Wormald Companies
submitted higher-density alternate plans for
the site.
The original plan
calls for 1,140 homes on 710 acres in
Liberty Township, Pa. A second plan
submitted on September 29 includes 1,182
homes on 445 acres, and a third plan
submitted in October calls for 106 houses on
much of the rest of the acreage. The total
of the two alternate plans together has 148
more homes than the original plan.
Save Our Liberty, a
grassroots citizens' group opposed to the
development, has built up support from more
than 150 donors to hire legal counsel, a
hydrogeologist, a traffic enginner and a
planning expert. Explained Bill Packer, Save
Our Liberty cochair, "In coming to
Pennsylvania from its base in Maryland, the
Wormald Companies avoids the cost of impact
fees levied in their home state. Maryland
fees for Wormald's initial plan would have
amounted to approximately $8 million. Our
state does not allow impact fees.
"SOL volunteers have
contacted most residents in the township, as
well as many others in the surrounding
region, and the great majority of them are
very worried about the tremendous number of
homes Wormald plans to bring into our rural
community. Citizens are gravely concerned
that the developer's plans do not adequately
protect the groundwater supply and the
environment. They are also concerned about
traffic, both within Liberty Township and
through the town of Emmitsburg, and the need
for a new school. Our township cannot
require Wormald to pay for the cost of
additional or improved roads, schools or
emergency services that will be needed, and
thus the burden will fall on our community."
Liberty Township
supervisors will decide at their next
regular meeting whether and when the public
hearing on Wormald's first plan will
continue. The lawyer representing the
Wormald Companies had requested a
continuance (delay) on the public hearing to
enable his client to address issues
regarding a strip of land that was included
in development plans and is not owned by the
developer. The supervisors' meeting will be
held on Wed., Nov. 5, at 7:30 PM at the
Township Building, 39 Topper Rd., Fairfield,
Pa.
The Liberty Township
supervisors can be reached at 717-642-3780.
Save Our Liberty can be reached at
717-642-5156 or saveourliberty@direcway.com.
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