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Drumore hears case for new shopping center
Intelligencer Journal
Jun 02, 2009 22:23 EST
Drumore
By JAMES BUESCHER, Correspondent

This time, it all comes down to the Drumore Township supervisors.

Last week, officials began what promises to be several rounds of conditional-use hearings on whether to allow an East Drumore Township developer to construct a 21,000-square-foot shopping center near the proposed site of the Drumore Crossings shopping hub near the corner of Holtwood Road and Route 272 in Buck.

Officials first announced at a May 7 meeting that they had received an application from developer Richard Wenger of East Drumore Township to build another shopping center, one slated to contain retail space, a convenience store and an unnamed fast-food restaurant.

For almost six years, residents have been watching a seemingly endless legal battle play out over the proposed 370,250-square-foot Drumore Crossings, which is widely rumored to contain a Wal-Mart.

During the first round of that center's conditional-use hearings in July 2004, a previous board voted to relinquish its decision-making powers on the shopping center to then-hearing officer Matt Creme.

At a May 28 hearing, however, the current Drumore board showed few signs of relinquishing its power a second time. On the other hand, by agreeing to call a halt to the proceedings after just two witnesses, it would appear that supervisors are expecting the proceedings to last for several weeks, if not months.

At the hearing, supervisors heard testimony from project manager Jeff Burkhart with the Lancaster civil engineering firm of David Miller Associates, who told elected officials that the proposed shopping center would be built along the west side of Route 272 at the site of a former Pontiac dealership at Buck.

He also told supervisors that, currently, the shopping center has no confirmed tenants, but that upon approval the developer hopes to contract with a convenience store, a fast-food restaurant, a retailer such as a furniture or card store and, possibly, a bank with a drive-up teller.

The shopping center, Burkhart said, would have two proposed entrances: one on Route 272 and another on Holtwood Road. It also would allow for motorists traveling north on Route 272 to turn left and cross a lane of traffic to enter the shopping center.

The proposed shopping center, Burkhart testified, does not yet have a lighting plan. Neither has the developer submitted a planning module to the state's Department of Environmental Protection. He also acknowledged that if Drumore Crossings is built, the second shopping center might have to reconfigure plans for its entrances and septic system.

"We don't want to provide any hardship to anyone who lives nearby," Burkhart said. "This is very similar to other uses in the area, (especially) seeing as how this site has been used as commercial space previously. We have designed this in accordance … with what's there now."

Though supervisors also heard brief testimony from engineer Pierre McCoy with the Mechanicsburg environmental consulting firm CMX Engineering — he testified about a preliminary hydrogeologic study and aquifer testing to make sure area water supplies are sustainable with the addition of the proposed shopping center — supervisors agreed to continue the proceedings at a later date because "there was so much still left to cover," Drumore chairman Colin McCauley said.

The date of the next hearing is expected to be announced at the next township meeting, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Drumore township building, 1675 Furniss Road.


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Come on where are all the protests about invading the life of the amish, invading Fishing Creek, let's hear it all of you southern end protesters,you protested loud enough for the other shopping center no matter how big you move in from out of the area and then try to take the lives of people who have lived here forever.Maybe we get tired of driving to Lancaster everytime we want to buy clothing or anything else for that matter.Maybe you have money to burn for gas. I forget how many "amish "people will be invaded.Do you think they will not shop there? Oh yes when shopping comes I will be watching for you just to make sure you aren't going in any of the doord to do some shopping
justmoveaway
QUOTE (justmoveaway @ Jun 3 2009, 11:45 AM)
Come on where are all the protests about invading the life of the amish, invading Fishing Creek, let's hear it all of you southern end protesters,you protested loud enough for the other shopping center no matter how big you move in from out of the area and then try to take the lives of people who have lived here forever.Maybe we get tired of driving to Lancaster everytime we want to buy clothing or anything else for that matter.Maybe you have money to burn for gas. I forget how many "amish "people will be invaded.Do you think they will not shop there? Oh yes when shopping comes I will be watching for you just to make sure you aren't going in any of the doord to do some shopping


Well when one does come in i don't want to hear people like you pissing and moaning about how your taxes now have to go up because you need a full time police force to take care of all the crime that has sprung up because of the shopping center. Because we all know how much you Southern end people hate taxes. You know being all Republican and all. It will be a worse version of Kendig Square.
LancNewbie
It's sad that online chat comments inevitably deteriorate into name-calling of other chatters. Particularly annoying is this political partisan insult garbage. It helps NO ONE.

Addressing the subjects at hand, (1) there are definitely Southern-enders who would like to have the opportunity to buy some non-essentials without driving 30 minutes. (2) Shopping areas automatically equal crime? I think "LancNewbie" might want to re-evaluate her statement. I don't know of any evidence that would back up this wild assumption. Even if this WERE the case: how about a solution of making the shopping hub pay any overage in crime-prevention expendatures? Can you think of other solutions?
ModerateAndSensible
QUOTE (ModerateAndSensible @ Jun 3 2009, 04:46 PM)
(2) Shopping areas automatically equal crime? I think "LancNewbie" might want to re-evaluate her statement. I don't know of any evidence that would back up this wild assumption. Even if this WERE the case: how about a solution of making the shopping hub pay any overage in crime-prevention expendatures? Can you think of other solutions?


No dis-respect intended to the Southern End as I grew up there... but this "shopping center" will not be the beacon of high-class shopping... no "Fountain Shoppes" here. You're going to be talking stores like Wal-Mart/KMart... Dollar Tree... McDonalds... Subway... as was mentioned -- a Kendig Square mirror. Of course there will be an increase in crime... maybe not huge, but new stores = theft. New shopping center = place to "hang out" after dark... a parking lot to park in... it happens. This will require additional "eyes" at the cost of someone... Tenants of a shopping center are typically not expected to pay for anything beyond standard secuirty... standard secruity (i.e. Kendig Square) doesn't do much beyond ride their little golf carts around and carry walkie-talkies... regardless... what do you really need that you can't get within a 10-15 minutes drive of where you live, and if you need it that bad and don't want to drive - move?? (don't you dare say you can't afford to live in any other part of the county... life is much cheaper down south becuase of that!) Do we really need another shopping center? May it be the southern end or up-town... let's give it a rest and occupy some of the much vacant space already available in the county. Yes the southern end is lacking in retail - but that's what makes the southern end so special. You cross through Willow Street and you'll have a hard time finding homes with acreage, space, room to grow. That's fine if you want to start selling off the available land down there... once you start there's no going back... look at what's happening everywhere else.
callabelle
I'm in the Southern End and I love it down here. I like the farmland and open spaces and don't want to see it gone but I'm also not going to get all fanatical and crazy if a shopping center eventually happens. I'm opposed to any type of new shopping center anywhere in the county however if one would eventually go in I will probably shop there b/c it is closer than running to Parkesburg for Wal-Mart (you couldn't pay me to go in to the Lancaster ones). Quite frankly I can get most of what I need as it is within 5 minutes from home. If there is something else I need that I can't get close to home I'm content to drive farther for it. I'd rather live where traffic isn't crazy and and people aren't on top of each other than live somewhere more developed. That's why I bought my house where I did.
southernendmom
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