NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — A proposed housing development that would cover more than 107 acres in North Whitehall Township cleared its final township hurdle.
The township Board of Supervisors on Monday granted preliminary/final approval to the plan for Greenleaf Fields at Parkland.
- North Whitehall supervisors granted preliminary/final approval to the plan for housing development Greenleaf Fields at Parkland
- The 44-lot development would be at Greenleaf and Maple Streets. Developer Tuskes Homes needs outside agency permits before construction can begin
- In other news, the net installation for the three new pickleball courts at Laurys Firehouse Park is expected to start next week
The housing development would have 44 units on 107.1 acres at Greenleaf and Maple Streets. The township Planning Commission recommended the plan for approval at its May meeting.
Greenleaf Fields at Parkland would be west of Maple Street and north and south of Maple Street. It would connect to Valley Green Drive, a road to the south of the proposed development that now ends in a cul-de-sac.
The houses would be built by developer Tuskes Homes, which has a preliminary page for the development on its website.
Tuskes Homes’ Director of Land Development Phil Malitsch said the earliest construction could begin would be within the first two quarters of 2024, as the company still needs outside agency permits.
Other business
Township Manager Randy Cope said the net installation for the new pickleball courts at Laurys Firehouse Park is expected to start within the next two weeks, with the courts anticipated to open by the Fourth of July.
Township supervisors voted on Feb. 6 to spend $130,000 to convert one of the basketball courts at Laurys Firehouse Park into three new pickleball courts. Those funds were in the 2023 budget.
“I feel very confident we’re going to have a modest budget surplus in 2023."Seth O'Neill, North Whitehall Township Director of Finance and Treasurer
Township Director of Finance and Treasurer Seth O'Neill gave a report at the meeting. He said the township is getting more money from its investments than expected.
O’Neill said the township also will transfer less money than anticipated from the general fund into the capital fund, and because of that, he anticipates there likely will be a surplus in the general fund for 2023.
“I feel very confident we’re going to have a modest budget surplus in 2023,” O’Neill said.
The 2023 budget’s general fund projected a deficit of $1.7 million by the end of 2023 because of money needed for the township building renovations.
But the township now is looking at financing options for the project, O’Neill said, which will significantly reduce the amount that will be transferred from the general fund this year.
O’Neill also said he soon will start to work with Cope on the 2024 budget.
Supervisors voted to add Wagner and Loomis Farms to the township’s agricultural security area, which Cope said is the first step in preserving the farmland.
