Cooperation sought for regional comprehensive plan in Ringtown Valley
NUREMBERG – An effort is underway that could see the Ringtown Valley join together as one region from a planning perspective.
JoAnna Shovlin, chair of the East Union Township zoning board, approached North Union Township supervisors about the idea Monday.
Shovlin was joined by two representatives from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
North Union is one of four municipalities that could be involved in the effort. Spearheaded by East Union, they are seeking the cooperation of North Union and Union townships as well as Ringtown borough, essentially the entire Ringtown Valley.
The effort would involve a multi-municipal “comprehensive plan study.”
“A comprehensive plan sets the policies for land use and the foundations for zoning,” Shovlin said, noting that some of East Union’s zoning ordinances are outdated and the Schuylkill County Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2006.
East Union Township and Ringtown borough manage their own planning and zoning, while North Union and Union defer to the county.
Shovlin and the DCED reps said that regionalization is being encouraged by the state, and is looked favorably from a grant standpoint.
She said that they are seeking a $30-$40,000 grant for the study.
Rachael Hobbs, with DCED, said that one strength of regional planning is that each municipality does not have to offer every single zoning type prescribed in their ordinance, as is the case currently. For example, if Ringtown has an industrial area, the rest of the planned region does not have to, as they are required to now.
Hobbs added that the Mahanoy Area is currently working on a similar plan, with Mahanoy City borough, Mahanoy, Delano, and Ryan townships.
Chris Chapman, with DCED, added that the areas must be continuous or within the same school district, and there would be a cost split between the municipalities.
Members of the public asked questions of the group and raised concerns, though no action was taken on the matter.
Blight
At another point in the meeting, one member of the public asked Charles Nahas, code enforcement officer, about the status of a blighted building in Nuremberg, referred to as “the factory.”
Nahas said the building is condemned and has changed hands multiple times in recent years. He said the vacant building has been posted as condemned and has been the home to a dozen cats.
Paul Domalakes, solicitor, spoke of the township’s options, noting that they can take the property and demolish it, but likely would never recoup the costs.
“If we have to go that route, we want to make sure we end up with the property so that at least we can recover some of the money with a sale,” Domalakes said.
“What we can do, we will do, provided it isn’t going to break our bank,” he added.
Nahas said he is going to continue pursuing action.
Another member of the audience asked if there were grants available for such actions.
“We’re waiting on so many blighted property grants, they’re like hitting the lottery,” Supervisor Gail Zola said. “Unfortunately, they’re just not as easy to get as you’d think.”
“When you see a building like this, and then you look at some in Shenandoah, these look like mansions,” Zola added. “We’ll keep slugging away at it and hope we get one.”
Earth Day clean-up
Supervisors also heard about an effort to organize a clean-up for Earth Day in North Union and Black Creek townships. Nuremberg is split between the two.
The clean-up will run from 10am to noon and is a volunteer effort.
Organizers at the meeting said that participants can clean up their own area or an area around a park or help out other efforts. Participants are asked to call Cinnamon at 267-567-1488 to arrange for the pickup of trash.
Volunteers can stop by Towers Bar at 1478 Tomhicken Road for a pizza lunch afterward.
In other business, township supervisors approved their annual $500 donation to the Hazleton Public Library’s Nuremberg branch, as well as the repository sale of a property in Cove Village.
The Shenandoah Sentinel was the ONLY local news source at this meeting. If you find value in our reporting and in knowing what YOUR local elected leaders are doing, PLEASE consider contributing to our efforts via Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee.
About Author
