A Lancaster County developer is hoping to build 84 single-family homes in a heavily wooded corner of Lower Macungie Township.
Representatives from Keystone Custom Homes were before the township planning commission Tuesday to pitch the Montclair Reserve development at 4801 and 4925 East Texas Road, near the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension.
Township planner Nathan Jones said preserving the many mature trees on the property will be key to getting the plan approved. Lower Macungie zoning ordinances call for the preservation of natural features in new developments, Jones noted, and there are decades-old trees on several of the planned homesites.
“This site is unlike others in the township where we’ve previously developed existing farm fields. There is a fair amount of forestation at this site,” he said.
Two other concerns that have been discussed with the developer, Jones said, were stormwater management and traffic flow. The plan calls for 10 stormwater basins. A traffic study has not yet been completed.
“Township staff has impressed upon the applicant the importance of recognizing traffic impacts in the township. That is something that is of great concern to township staff to make sure that impact is mitigated,” he said. “What we will be looking for at the time of any formal development is the importance of no impact to other existing residences in the township.”
No action was taken on the preliminary plan Tuesday. Keystone Homes has other projects underway in the Lehigh Valley, including the Views at Fells Creek and Fallbrooke Farms developments in Upper Macungie.
Keystone representative Mickey Thompson said the company directs the majority of its profits to its nonprofit, Hope International, which provides microloans and other financial support to people in 24 countries.