Cumru planners say hay-shed proposal at 2939 Welsh Road raises stormwater, waiver questions

Township planning staff told the applicant for 2939 Welsh Road (the Brewbaker property) that the proposed structure requires clearer plans and may exceed the scope of a previously granted land-development waiver because of stormwater concerns.

Commissioners said the applicant described a large hay shed (staff and commissioners quoted dimensions variously as "40 by 30 or 60") but had not submitted sketch plans, drawings, or a stormwater plan for the commission’s review. Planning staff Kelsey told the commission the applicant should indicate whether they want to amend the prior waiver or submit a formal land-development plan and, if possible, have the applicant’s engineer attend the next meeting to explain the proposed approach.

Why it matters: the structure’s roof constitutes an impervious surface that will affect stormwater calculations. Commissioners said they currently lack sufficient information to determine whether to uphold the prior waiver or require full land-development review and recommended engineering input before a decision.

Staff reported that the township engineer had reached out to the applicant’s engineer but the applicant’s representatives were unable to attend the meeting; staff asked the engineer to coordinate with the applicant so the commission can receive plans and a recommendation at a future meeting.

Next steps: the commission requested the applicant inform staff which path they will pursue (waiver amendment or formal land-development submission) and asked that the applicant’s engineer attend the next planning commission meeting if possible. No formal action to deny or approve the project was taken.