Bern Township approves multiple land‑development plans, waivers and a stormwater easement

The Bern Township Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 7 to approve several land‑development actions and related waivers, including the Mengel Sketch Plan and Mengel stormwater agreement, multiple waivers for the Misco plan and waivers and a preliminary approval for the SunCap plan — several conditioned on specified mitigation or compliance with township requirements.

Township Manager Brian Potts told the board the Planning Commission recommended approval of the Mengel Sketch Plan based on the SSM review letter dated Aug. 6, 2021; the board approved the sketch plan and separately approved a Mengel stormwater agreement prepared by Attorney Mooney. The motions carried with the full board voting yes.

The board also approved a set of waivers for the Misco land development plan, including waivers under Section 154‑30.I(2)(b),(c),(d),(e),(f) and (h) (impact‑study requirements) and a waiver under Section 152‑8.T(7)(c) allowing a driveway width to exceed 16 feet. The Planning Commission had recommended the waivers, and the supervisors voted to accept those recommendations.

For the SunCap project the board approved a waiver to Section 149‑22.A(4)(a) on exterior basin side slopes on the condition that the basin be planted with grass requiring less frequent mowing, and it approved a waiver for Section 154‑32.E(4)(a) (full‑depth stone backfill in trenches). The board granted preliminary approval for the SunCap land development plan subject to the SSM Aug. 6, 2021 review letter and explicit compliance with the township zoning ordinance’s building‑height requirement.

The board also approved signing an easement agreement for a stormwater facility at 1015 Snyder Drive; Manager Potts reported Attorney Mooney prepared the agreement and the resident had signed it. Separately, the board approved a $204.25 refund to Trinity Solar for a permit overpayment (original permit cost $267.00; LTL review costs $62.75).

Taken together, the approvals clear procedural and technical hurdles for the listed developments but leave conditions in place: developers must meet the SSM review recommendations and zoning height rules where noted, and some waivers were explicitly conditioned on mitigations such as lower‑maintenance plantings. The board did not record any appeals or stays on these motions at the meeting’s close.