Hellam Township rejects warehouse in favor of preserving agricultural area

Hellam Township officials rejected a proposal Thursday that would rezone agricultural land for commercial and industrial use, paving the way for another warehouse near Route 30.

The township's Board of Supervisors voted down a request to rezone a parcel of land along Campbell Road near White Clover Family Farm. The decision came after a two-month process.

Nathan and Kristen Kauffman, of Hallam borough, purchased the 23-acre parcel along Campbell Road in 2016, according to the rezoning application brief. The application noted the property's proximity to major thoroughfares and other commercial areas.

Devin Winand, the township's planning commission chair, said the property — which he noted was currently used for agriculture — does not fall under the growth area on the township's official map, making the proposal inconsistent with the comprehensive plan.

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Rachel Vega, the township zoning officer, said road access would need to be addressed if the property were rezoned. Some uses could include access to an arterial road and could need a traffic study in the land development process, according to minutes from a Jan. 12 planning meeting.

John Eifert, a planning commission member, said the rezoning made sense — but he wanted to see comments from York County planning officials.

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Ultimately, the county planning commission reviewed the rezoning proposal at its Feb. 21 meeting and recommended against the rezoning. This decision cited the property's prime agricultural soil status, current agricultural use, placement outside of the growth area as well as the fact that there are several nearby properties under the commercial and industrial zone that are undeveloped or underdeveloped.

— Reach Noel Miller at NMiller3@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @TheNoelM.