HomeMy WebLinkAbout96-05567
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GLENN MARQUART, FREDERIC
C. JUSSEN, III, WILLIS AND
JUDITH MUSSELMAN. I)OUGLAS
AND ANNE S. TILLEY AND
ROBERT AND MARILYN HOLT,
Appellants
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
NO. CIVIL 1996
91..-t [, (.. 7 CW('{ '-R12..~
CIVIL ACTION - LAW
v.
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP,
Appellees
LAND USE APPEAL
NOTICE OF LAND USE APPEAL
AND NOW eome the Appellants, by their attorneys, Wix, Wenger & Weidner, a
Professional Corporation, and file this Land Use Appeal from the decision of the Appellee,
Lower Allen Township Board of Commissioners, under authority of Section 1002-A of the
Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code ("MPC"), Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805, as
amended, 53 P.S. gII002-A, and in support thereof, state the following:
1. Appellants are residents of Lower Allen Township (the "Township"), Cumberland
County, Pennsylvania, more particularly residing at the following addresses:
a. Glenn Marquart is an adult individual residing at 1561 Thompson Lane,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania;
b. Frederic C. Jussen, III is an adult individual residing at 1601 Thompson
Lane, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania;
c. Willis and Judith Musselman are adult individuals residing at 1548 Fox
Hollow Circle, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania;
d. Douglas and Anne S. Tilley are adult individuals residing at 1536 Fox
Hollow Circle, Meehanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and
e. Robert and Marilyn Holt are adult individuals residing at 1544 Fox
Hollow Circle, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
2. Appellee is the Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township (the
"Commissioners") which is the governing body of the Township, with offices at 1993 Hummel
A venue, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
3. On or about July 16, 1996, South Highland Cell submitted a Preliminary/Final
Subdivision Plan to the Township proposing the construction of a 180 foot cellular telephone
tower on property to be leased from George and Louise Hoffman residing at 1541 Thompson
Lane, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The Township assigned the plan SLD-Docket 96-20.
4. Properties owned by Appellants are adjaeent to and/or affected by the 180 foot
eellular tower.
5. The parcel of land upon which the cellular telephone tower would be constructed
is presently zoned by the Township under the designation "R-2 - Single-Family Rural Residential
District."
6. On September 9, 1996, the Commissioners, by a 4 to I vote, approved the
referenced plan with certain conditions.
7. The approval by the Commissioners of a cellular telephone tower within an R-2 -
Single Family Rural Residential District constitutes an abuse of discretion and an error oflaw.
8. The Commissioner's approval of the tower is contrary to Section 1106.01 of the
Township's Zoning Ordinance, under the provisions of Article 1106 governing R-2 Single-
Family Rural Residential Districts, which states that "the specific intent of this Article is to
perrnitthe establishment of a residential low density district while still preserving the existing
rural character, environmentally sensitive areas and open space of the southern portion of the
Township."
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9. The Commissioners failed to adequately assess alternatives to placement of the
tower within an R-2 Distriet, including alternate sites and shared use of existing cellular
telephone towers, in contravention of the stated intent set forth in Section 1106.0 I of the Zoning
Ordinance.
10. Section 1106.02 of the Zoning Ordinance defines "Permitted Uses" within an R-2
District to include "[uJtility facilities where operation requirements necessitate locating within
the District in accordance with Seetion 1114.33."
11. Seetion 1114.33 of the Zoning Ordinance provides that "utility facilities shall be
permitted in any district without regard to the use and area regulations; provided, however, that
buildings or structures erected for such use shall be subjeetto the following regulations: ...(d)
[tJhe facility shall comply with performance standards as contained within Article 1115 herein."
12. Section 1115.17 of Article 1115 provides for "Screening and Buffering
Requirements" as follows: (a) "A fence, wall, hedge, landscaping, earth berm, natural buffer
area, or any combination thereof shall be provided to obscure certain uses or portions of a
specific use which by their nature are unsightly or which by scale or design represent the
potential to negatively impactadjacent properties. The following specific uses or features shall
be screened from adjacent properties and from public view from a public street: ... (2) service
entrances and utility facilities......
13. The screening required by the Commissioners as a condition of approval is wholly
inadequate and contrary to the requirements of Section 1115.17.
14. No analysis was performed as to the impact of the approved land development
scheme on the nearby State-designated Seenic River Corridor for the Yellow Breeches Creek as
referenced in Section 1115.20 of Article 1115 of the Township Zoning Ordinance.
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15. The plan is in violation of stormwater management requirements and the
Township's waiver of these requiremcnts was in error.
16. The plan involves thc leasc of land upon whieh the tower will bc construeted and
amounts to a prohibited commcrcial lease within an R-2 Single-Family Residential Rural
District.
17. Thc approvcd land development does not assure the greater health, safety,
convenience and welfare of the citizens of the municipality in accordance with Section 1161.02
of the Township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance in that Thompson Lane, a
narrow and hilly country lane used by school buses, is unsuited for necessary construction
vehicles and additional vehicular traffic related to the tower.
18. There is no evidence that the proposed cellular telephone service is encompassed
by the term "Utility, Public or Private" set forth in Section 1102.313 of the Zoning Ordinanee.
19. Cellular telephone services are not regulated as publie utilities under public utility
law in Pennsylvania.
20. A cellular telephone tower is not an authorized permitted use within R-2 Single-
Family Residential Rural Districts within the Township in accordance with the Township's
Zoning Ordinance and no variance or special exception was requested.
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WHEREFORE, Appellants request this Honorable Court to issue an Order dirccting the
Lowcr Allen Township Board of Commissioncrs to disapprove thc plan.
Respectfully submitted,
WIX, WENGER & WEIDNER,
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORA nON
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DA VID R. GETZ, ESQUIR
J.D. #34838
508 North Second Street
P.O. Box 845
Harrisburg, P A 17108-0845
(717) 234-4182
Date: October 8,1996
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GLENN MARQUART, FREDERIC :
C. JUSSEN, III, WILLIS AND
JUDITH MUSSELMAN, DOUGLAS :
AND ANNE S. TILLEY AND
ROBERT AND MARILYN HOLT,
Appellants
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
NO. CIVIL 1996
v.
CIVIL ACTION - LAW
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP,
Appellees
LAND USE APPEAL
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I do hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Notice of Land Use Appeal was sent by
first-class, postage prepaid mail this day to the following:
Raymond Rhodes
Township Manager
Lower Allen Township
1993 Hummel Avenue
Camp Hil1, PA 17011
Robert Yetter, Esquire
Solicitor of Lower Allen Township
3211 North Front Street
P.O. Box 5300
Harrisburg, PA 17108-0300
Respectfully submitted,
WIX, WENGER & WEIDNER,
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
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DAVID R. GETZ, ESQUIRE
!.D. #34838
508 North Second Street
P.O. Box 845
Harrisburg, PAl 71 08-0845
(717) 234-4182
Date: October 8, 1996
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IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
CIVIL ACTION - LAW
GLENN MARQUART, FREDERIC
C. JUSSEN, III, WILLIS AND
JUDITH MUSSELMAN, DOUGLAS
AND ANNE S. TILLEY AND
ROBERT AND MARILYN HOLT,
NO. 96-5567 CIVIL 1996
Appellants
v.
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP,
Appellees
NOTICE OF INTERVENTION PURSUANT TO SECTION 1004'A OF THE PENNSYLVANIA
MUNICIPALITIES PLANNING CODE (53 P.S. SECTION 11004-A)
Notice is hereby given that Harrisburg Cellular Telephone
Corporation hereby intervenes in the above captioned appeal pursuant
to Section 1004-A of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code
(53 P.S. Section 11004-A) and in support thereof states as follows:
1. Intervenor is Harrisburg Cellular Telephone Corporation
having as its principal place of business 2002 Pisgah Church Road,
Suite 300, Greensboro, North Carolina 27455.
2. Intervenor is the Applicant before the Board of
Commissioners of Lower Allen Township below and it is from approval
obtained by the Applicant which Appellants appeal.
3. Intervenor has the right to intervene in this action as the
Applicant below having an equitable interest in the property which is
the subject of the appeal.
4. Intervenor will advocate in favor of the approval of the
Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township asserting that the
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approval by the Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township in all
ways complied with local ordinances and the pennsylvania
Municipalities Planning Code.
Respectfully submitted,
NIKOLAUS & HOHENAOEL
By~
'~att ew J. r., Esquire
Attorneys or In ervenor
1.0. #32141
212 North Queen Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 299-3726
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of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township approving a Land Development Plan submitted by
the Petitioner.
3, On or about July 23, 1996, the Petitioner submitted a Land Development Plan to the
Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen Township for the construction and maintenance of a
Cellular Communications Facility within the R-2 zone in Lower Allen Township (the "Plan").
4, On or about September 3, 1996, John C. Eby, the Zoning Officer for Lower Allen
Township ("Zoning Officer") made a determination that the proposed cellular communications
facility is a permitted use within the R-2 zoning district under the Lower Allen Township Zoning
Ordinance, That determination was put in final written form on September 23, 1996.
5, On or about September 9,1996, the Board of Commissioners of Lower Allen
Township approved the Plan submitted by the Petitioner.
6. Riehard C. Michaelian appealed the Zoning Officer's decision to the Zoning Hearing
Board of Lower Allen Township on or about October 9, 1996.
7, On or about November 21, 1996, the Zoning Hearing Board of Lower Allen
Township held a hearing on the Appeal from the decision of the zoning officer.
8. On or about January 6, 1997, the Lower Allen Township Zoning Hearing Board
rendered its decision affirming the determination of the zoning officer, under the caption In The
Matter of the Apolication of Richard C. Michaelian. et al. Docket #96-13.
9. The Respondents filed a Notice ofa Land Use Appeal on October 8, 1996, appealing
the decision of the Lower Allen Township Board of Commissioners' approval ofthe Plan,
10. Respondents have cited in their Notice of Appeal, that the Commissioners' approval of
the subdivision plan was improper, on the basis of sections of the Zoning Ordinance.
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11. There is no mention in the Respondents' Notice of Land Use Appeal of any errors
made by the Board of Commissioners on the basis of the Subdivision and Land Development
Ordinance in effect in Lower Allen Township,
12, Pursuant to Section 1003-A of the Municipalities Planning Code, (the "PC") "If the
Appellants are persons who are seeking to prevent a use or development of the land of a!lother . ,
, the land owner whose use or development is in question may petition the court to order the
Appellants to post bond as a condition to proceeding with the appeal." (53 P,S, Section 1003-
A(a)) Section J003-A also requires the court to hold a hearing to determine if the filing of the
appeal is frivolous in order to determine whether bond should be posted,
13, The Notice of Land Use Appeal filed by the Respondents is frivolous for the
following reasons:
a. The Respondents' appeal of the Board of Commissioners' decision cites only sections
of the zoning ordinance for the basis upon which the Board of Commissioners erred.
The Board of Commissioners were not confronted with any zoning issues, as the
zoning officer had already made the preliminary determination that the use was
permitted within the R-2 zone.
b, The Notice of Land Use Appeal does not cite to any section of the Land Development
and Subdivision Ordinance of Lower Allen Township which the Board of
Commissioners failed to consider in rendering their decision.
c, The Notice of Land Use Appeal does not cite any sections of the Lower Allen
Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance which the approval of the
Plan violated,
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