Planning commission recommends conditional approval for five-lot Cedar Grove subdivision

The Marple Township Planning Commission on Aug. 27 recommended that the Board of Commissioners move ahead with a five-lot preliminary/final subdivision and land-development plan on Cedar Grove Road, subject to conditions including redesign of several driveways, engineer review and compliance with the town engineering review letter dated Aug. 25, 2026.

Applicant attorney Leonard Alteri described the proposal as a subdivision of an approximately 5.08-acre vacant parcel into five single-family lots served by public water and sewer and individual stormwater systems. He said the project requires conditional-use relief under the township steep-slope regulations to disturb roughly 7,184 square feet of steep slopes and about 28,815 square feet of very steep slopes and cited specific ordinance sections in the application.

Civil engineer Rick Stratton said the plan was designed to meet bulk and dimensional requirements except where conditional relief is sought for slope disturbance. "The existing property is about 5 acres, 5.08, and it's currently in the RC Residential District," Stratton said as he described the topography, access and utilities. He and the applicant pledged to submit revised driveway alignments for Lots 2, 3 and 4 to reduce retaining-wall height and slope disturbance and to address PennDOT access requirements for the new driveways.

After extensive public comment about flooding, tree removal and sidewalks, the commission voted to recommend approval subject to conditions: consideration of sidewalk installation, redesign of the driveways with satisfactory review by the township engineer, confirmation of stormwater compliance, and compliance with the engineer's review letter dated 08/25/2026. The motion passed by voice vote; the recommendation goes to the Board of Commissioners for the conditional-use hearing.