May 2, 2016 2 min read

Developers, homeowners and renters in Southpointe are now assured their projects and neighbors won’t change unexpectedly.

Cecil Township supervisors approved 4-0 Monday a new unified development ordinance that, by most measures, prevents land use categories from changing to less restrictive, and only allows changes to more restrictive. Supervisor Cindy Fisher was absent.

“Southpointe is unique because it was a state and county development, so the public-private partnership kind of created a special district that hadn’t been dealt with before. It’s its own special district that didn’t have protections for property owners to be assured that if you own a commercial property, an industrial project wouldn’t pop up right next to you; if you’re a resident, a commercial structure wouldn’t crop up,” said Chairman Tom Casciola.

The special provisions can be overturned if petitions with 100 percent of neighbors show approval to modifying a lot’s usage type, according to the ordinance.

In other business, supervisors approved 4-0 to refinance the township’s 2011 bonds worth $7 million, which would reach final maturity in 2035. Sean Garin, of Dinsmore and Shohl financial advisers, said the township would receive a net savings of $226,000 based on newer interest rates of 2.8 percent as opposed to just over 3 percent. The immediate advantage, Garin said, would be a reduction in bond obligation payments for the first two years. The 2011 bonds are tied up with sewer and stormwater projects with the municipal authority. The board would have to close on the refinancing by mid-June, according to Garin.

The board also approved a traffic study with the state Department of Transportation to appeal the agency for a four-way stop at O’Hare Road, Chartiers Run Road and Route 980. Township engineer Dan Deiseroth said a recent check of traffic volume meets the merits for a four-way stop, but not one that requires a traffic light.