Red Lion Country Club land rezoning proposal could be voted on at August meeting
The York Township Board of Commissioners may soon take action on the proposed rezoning of land that housed the former Red Lion Country Club. According to the board's July 11 meeting agenda, the petition for the amendment to change the land from commercial to residential high-density will be up for consideration at the Aug. 8 meeting and could see a vote.
The board met with the potential developers and hundreds of residents on July 6 at a nearly five-hour town hall meeting at the Dallastown Middle School auditorium. During the meeting, residents said that any development on this site would be harmful to local wildlife, some of which they say is protected and endangered.
The parcel of land at 150 Country Club Road in York Township is owned by the Red Lion Area School District. It is listed at $1.6 million, and the sale is contingent on the rezoning.
Impact studies
Because the sale has not been completed, no formal plans for the site have been drafted. Attorney Michael Stoll, representing the developers, presented a report detailing why the rezoning would fit into the township's development plan, as well as environmental and traffic impact studies. Stoll said an avian study was conducted in 2022 and found no endangered species on the property.
He said the study took about two months to complete, but Eric Maloney, a resident who in April filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to prevent the development of this land, argued that a study of that type would take at least three years to yield the right results.
Background: Meeting on controversial Red Lion Country Club site rezoning rescheduled
In June, the Red Lion Area School District responded to Maloney's complaint and refuted his claims.
Other residents argued development would cause traffic and infrastructure issues, but because no development plans have been submitted, any impact on traffic is just a guess at this time.
Additionally, there were concerns about overburdening area schools and buses. The property is located in Dallastown Area School District, not Red Lion Area School District. Therefore, residents said, a development would have no effect on Red Lion school enrollment, and the sale would not benefit the Dallastown district.
Stoll said that the land comes with development challenges, such as steep slopes, conservation zones that must be adhered to and environmental barriers, some left by the golf course that used to occupy the land. He said that is why it has not been developed commercially, even though developers have looked at the site. Stoll said rezoning the land would make it easier to develop, and it would align with all of the residentially zoned land surrounding the parcel.
153 single-family homes
Stoll said that if the rezoning amendment is adopted, developers will create a community of 153 single-family homes. He provided a letter to the York Township Board of Commissioners that was made public during the meeting stating that was the goal.
"The application in front of you actually helps the township get more aligned with the county and township planning documents," Stoll said.
Later, after questions about the letter came up, Stoll admitted it was not legally binding and that developers could change their minds and build a community with more homes, as long as they meet the requirements for township ordinances and as long as the board approved the plan.
More background: Meeting on controversial Red Lion Country Club site to be held this week
County planners gave thumbs down
Another point of contention between residents and Stoll was his refusal to explain why the York County Planning Commission denied adopting the rezoning plan at its March 21 meeting. According to a staff report, the commission denied adopting the plan "because the proposed amendment is not consistent with the current York Township Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use and Housing Plan" and "the proposed rezoning could potentially be considered spot zoning, as there are no other high-density residential zones surrounding the site within York Township or Windsor Township."
All surrounding parcels are zoned as residential low-density.
However, the report also noted that the planning commission did "recommend that the municipality consider reviewing the site and the surrounding area to determine if a more comprehensive rezoning should be considered. As mentioned in the applicant’s submittal, the site has been on the market for sale for several years under the current zoning with no prospective buyers, which may indicate that the site is not conducive to the type of development permitted by the Commercial Office District."
Details on the next meeting were not immediately available, and calls to the board were not returned by the time of publication. In the last meeting notice, however, it was stated that the board must take a vote on the rezoning matter within 60 days of July 6. The Aug. 8 meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at 190 Oak Road, Dallastown.
More on the issue: Old Red Lion Country Club land: It’s Bulldozer blades v. endangered bats
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Red Lion Pa. Country Club rezoning proposal could be voted on soon
