Supervisors OK Bragg Hill house move if conditions are met
By Kelli Siehl, Staff Writer, UnionvilleTimes.com
The Pocopson Township Board of Supervisors have given preliminary approval to move a house near Bragg Hill Road, provided the property owners comply with 17 conditions.
POCOPSON — A historic home along Bragg Hill Road will be relocated to another part of the property as long as certain conditions are met – 17 of them to be exact.
The township ‘s Board of Supervisors voted at Monday night’s meeting to approve the conditional use application filed by Kirk and Jeannette Lindvig due to the property’s unique circumstances that limit development options and the ability to preserve and utilize the historic house at its present location.
Supervisors’ Chair, Steve Conary, reading from a prepared statement said, “That’s an admirable and desirable goal from the board’s perspective… however, the entire property is located in a greenway corridor and scenic river easement and a portion of the property is protected by a conservation easement protecting meadow open space.” He added that movement of the historic house would disturb these areas and could cause heavy erosion issues.
“The board does not find the disturbance of natural features and very steep slopes desirable, and does not grant modifications to such zoning ordinances lightly without a showing of unique and unusual circumstances,” Conary told the audience.
Conditions to be met include the approval of all plans by the township engineer and other environmental agencies prior to starting construction, taking all necessary steps to prevent excess erosion, relocating and securing the house and restoring the meadow and open space within two months and complying with all township rules, regulations and ordinances.
Supervisors’ Vice-Chair, Georgia Brutscher stressed the uniqueness of the circumstance and told the Lindvigs that the township “has never given in on the steep slopes before.” Brutscher added, “With the conditions we’ve proposed, we feel you will do a good job and be an asset to our community.”
Public hearings were held Monday, February 27 and April 9, at which time, the Lindvigs, their architect and attorney presented plans to construct a temporary haul road to be used to relocate the existing dwelling as well as the installation of a new septic system, well, storm water management system, permanent driveway and associated facilities within the greenway corridor. In addition, the Lindvigs asked Supervisors to modify provisions regarding regulating maximum disturbance of very steep slopes, regulations for driveways and the site distance for proposed driveways.
