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JENKINS TWP. \u2014 Residents turned up in full force to a public hearing at the municipal building on Wednesday to oppose rezoning a portion of mine scarred land in the Inkerman section of the township because the developers don\u2019t yet know what they plan to use the property for.<\/p>\n
It was standing room only in the audience as the Jenkins Township Board of Supervisors heard testimony from a handful of residents who voiced their concerns over rezoning a large, wooded area between Market and Main Street, from residential to industrial.<\/p>\n
The property is owned by Forza Holdings LLC and was sold to the company in the spring of 2025 for $1 million, according to county property records.<\/p>\n
Frank Nockley and Charles Latona, two partners in the company, were in attendance at the meeting. Both men live in Jenkins Township.<\/p>\n
No decision on the rezoning was made at Wednesday\u2019s meeting. The board plans to review everyone\u2019s statements, and a vote will be held at an upcoming meeting.<\/p>\n
According to board attorney Girard Mecadon, the board has 45 days to make a determination.<\/p>\n
Attorney Samuel Falcone, representing Forza Holdings, stated that the developers want to reclaim the mined land, which has culm banks in excess of four stories high, and level it.<\/p>\n
In order to make things \u201cmore consistent,\u201d Falcone said his clients want to turn the portions of the property that are in a residential zone into an industrial zone.<\/p>\n
The attorney said the developers plan to apply for Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) and Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) grants to help fund the reclaiming of the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur intention is to create a better environment back there,\u201d Falcone.<\/p>\n
However, Attorney Donald Karpowich, who represents a Jenkins Township resident, argued that the owners should have considered the zoning before they bought the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew what the zoning district was when they purchased it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also took issue that the applicant did not specify in their application what they intend to use the land for. A detailed proposal for the land is required based on the township\u2019s zoning ordinance.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me what you\u2019re gonna do or what you aren\u2019t gonna do or you don\u2019t know yet. We wanna see that. Why? So we can review the impacts this proposed use would have if you granted the changes on these people\u2019s properties,\u201d Karpowich said.<\/p>\n
Things got heated when residents stepped up to the podium to speak. All of the speakers opposed the rezoning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you guys decide to pass this industrial thing, what\u2019s to stop them from building data centers?\u201d asked Julia Struzzeri, who lives on Market Street.<\/p>\n
In response, Falcone said the owners\u2019 intention is to reclaim the land.<\/p>\n
Latona then stepped up to the microphone, saying he \u201cdidn\u2019t care for\u201d the residents\u2019 remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really don\u2019t know what we\u2019re gonna do with [the land],\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want to look at a culm bank the rest of your life, go and do it. I look at it every day, I get sick to my stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another resident said it\u2019s not fair that residents don\u2019t know what the land will be used for and asked the board to either table the application or deny it until the developers can provide more information.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we might want what they\u2019re gonna put there. Maybe it\u2019s gonna be good for us,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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