Planning Commission backs Harley subdivision but keeps existing 16.5-foot easement, rejects 50-foot expansion

The Huntington Township Planning Commission recommended conditional approval of the Harley lot-addition subdivision at its May 20 meeting but declined an engineer recommendation to widen an existing access easement to 50 feet.

Commissioners reviewed the Harley plan, which the surveyor and commission described as including roughly a 27.5-acre Lot 1, a tennis-court parcel of about 1.75 acres, and the Hershey parcel of roughly 33.25 acres as shown on the submitted sheets. The township engineer noted two outstanding items (engineer comments 8 and 9) and said it was "highly recommended" that the access easement be widened to 50 feet to meet recommended minimums for access and stormwater management. (Scott, township engineer: "It's highly recommended that this be widened to 50 feet.")

Several commissioners pushed back, saying a recorded 50-foot easement could create the potential for future subdivision or road construction by a future owner. The Commission discussed the deeded easement's current purpose — to allow an owner (Barrett Hershey) to reach a place of business from his house — and noted the existing documented right-of-way is 16.5 feet in the deed book. Commissioners said that retaining the existing width reduces the risk that a future owner could claim the right to develop access for additional lots.

After discussion a motion was made and seconded to recommend the plan to the Board of Supervisors with conditions described in the engineer's letter and to retain the existing 16.5-foot easement width as part of that recommendation. The motion passed by voice vote; members asked staff to work with the engineer to clear outstanding items before plan signing.

The Commission's recommendation is advisory: final approval and any deed consolidation or changes to easement language would be handled in the Board of Supervisors' proceedings and any separately recorded deed documents.