Neighbors press supervisors over traffic, stormwater and scale at Mount Zion Commons hearing

SPRINGETTSBURY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The developer of Mount Zion Commons presented plans for a mixed‑use project at Mount Zion Road and East Market Street on Feb. 21, telling the Board of Supervisors the consolidated proposal would include retail, a 16‑pump convenience gas station, multiple drive‑through restaurants and three four‑story apartment buildings with about 170 units.

Stacy McNeil, attorney for the applicant, said the submission includes design guidelines, a PennDOT scoping application and updated site exhibits. Developer John McKenna of Madison Development Group described assembled parcels under affiliate ownership (including Madison Harrisburg and Mount Zion Commons) and said the project would provide approximately 490 parking spaces compared with 400 required under earlier relief.

"I will be able to look out my kitchen window and my back porch and see the 4 story apartment buildings," resident Marta Peck said during standing testimony, expressing why she sought party status. Other neighbors testified they live across the street, behind the site or within yards of the proposed development.

Why it matters: residents said the scale and composition — large parking fields, drive‑throughs and a gas canopy near homes — are at odds with the township’s stated town‑center goals and would worsen an already congested corridor. Dozens of comments focused on traffic impacts, loss of tree cover, light pollution and potential stormwater runoff into neighboring properties.

Project details and applicant commitments

McKenna said the assembled site is roughly 11.9 acres and includes a planned public plaza of about 3,000 square feet, decorative paving, raised planters, a relocated stone wall and a plaque noting the former Bloomingdale estate. The applicant described a community space of roughly 4,000 square feet for apartment residents and said certain historic elements — notably a motel sign — could be donated to preservation groups.

On utilities, McKenna testified that a 12‑inch high‑pressure Columbia Gas main runs under or near portions of the site and that Columbia Gas requires a 50‑foot easement; he said relocation or replacement of the aging line would be expensive and that the developer will bear the cost. He also told the board the applicant intends to submit a full traffic impact study and PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) materials as the project advances through land‑development review.

Traffic and permitting process

Eric Mounts, the traffic consultant, explained that the PennDOT process begins with a scoping application (already advanced for this site), followed by a detailed traffic impact study and then final roadway design for an HOP. He said the scoping stage included traffic counts at multiple intersections and that the developer would pay for any required PennDOT improvements. As a rough estimate, Mr. Mounts said a traffic study of this scale costs on the order of $50,000.

Residents’ concerns and developer responses

Speakers recorded multiple objections: that the proposed layout would prioritize cars over pedestrians; that sidewalks and plaza access are difficult to visualize on the plan; that lighting from 24‑hour pumps, an 18‑foot monument sign and parking‑lot fixtures would create constant night‑time glare; and that paving 79% of the site could increase runoff, heating and pollutant loads. Mark Gephart of Manor Management read a letter asserting the project lacks a valid emergency‑access easement to Springetts Manor and warned of potential flood impacts on those two‑story buildings.

McKenna and the project engineers responded that the plan meets the town‑center overlay’s program of mixed uses, proffers streetscape improvements (12‑foot sidewalks on East Market Street, street trees and decorative lighting) and will provide a photometric lighting plan and engineered stormwater controls during land‑development review. The team said they have coordinated with Columbia Gas and that the scoping application to PennDOT already defined the intersections to be studied.

What the board did

After hearing the applicant’s case and a lengthy public‑comment period, the board recessed to caucus and announced the evidentiary portion of the hearing was closed for the night; supervisors said final deliberation and a decision will be made at a public meeting (tentatively March 14 or March 28). No formal approval or denial was issued at the hearing.

Next steps and outstanding items

If the board ultimately approves the conditional use, the applicant will advance to preliminary/final land‑development filings, submit a full traffic impact study consistent with PennDOT’s scoping approval, provide a detailed stormwater management plan and the township will review photometric lighting and landscaping plans. Several neighbors said they expect those downstream permitting steps to be the venue for additional conditions or modifications.

Reporting note: Quotes and factual details in this story are drawn from testimony and statements made in the Feb. 21 conditional‑use hearing record, including developer witness testimony, consultant presentations and public comment.