Supervisors approve waivers and conditionally approve Mount Nebo 2 expansion with sidewalk deferral

The Middle Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve a slate of zoning and stormwater waivers for the Mount Nebo 2 land‑development plan and to grant conditional approval to the project’s preliminary‑final plan, subject to satisfying technical review comments.

Engineer Salazo, presenting on behalf of the applicant, said the proposal would add 30 apartment units adjacent to an existing 96‑unit complex, consolidate parcels and replace a previously proposed storage building with a small playground and pedestrian walkway. He told the board the project would intrude only minimally into the township’s wetland buffer: ‘‘…a portion of the building footprint within the 50 foot buffer, only 17 square feet are proposed to be developed,’’ Salazo said, adding that rooftop runoff will be collected and routed to underground storage to limit surface discharge.

The applicant requested relief from several ordinance sections, including wetland setback provisions (170‑41E), minimum right‑of‑way and roadway width requirements (170‑56/170‑57/170‑58), and sidewalk placement rules. After discussion about a large wetland that prevents a full sidewalk extension along Mount Nebo Road, the board opted for a deferral (not a permanent waiver) for the sidewalk section. That deferral will be secured by a recorded declaration of covenants requiring the owner or subsequent property owner to construct the sidewalk if the township later deems it necessary.

The board’s conditional approval ties final plan recordation to compliance with a June 12, 2026 review letter from Gilmore Associates, satisfaction of the September 14, 2023 conditional‑use decision conditions and completion of the lot consolidation in a form acceptable to the township. The motion approving the waivers and deferral included a requirement that the applicant supplement landscaping consistent with the township engineer’s recommendation to offset the minor buffer disturbance.

Salazo estimated the applicant would begin demolition of the existing structure within about two months to prepare for construction, and the applicant plans to proceed with permitting thereafter.

Next steps: the applicant must satisfy all conditions in the Gilmore review letter and record the required declaration of covenants where applicable before final plan approval and recordation.