|
 The College 9 Movie Theater in Patton Township was the second United Entertainment Corporation project in Centre County on which PennTerra Engineering, Inc. worked. This project brought with it a unique set of challenges.
After performing a feasibility study, PennTerra determined that with a 15% slope, the project would have to make extensive use of retaining walls. Additionally, lighting and traffic issues would need to be resolved with the township and surrounding residents before municipal approval could be obtained.
After reviewing the sketch plan with the township, the Project Manager, Mark Torretti, made several public presentations to the area residents to obtain their feedback and address their concerns about the potential for increased traffic and nighttime lighting. Presentation sketches and plans prepared by Jon Houser depicted the various aspects of the future theatre site and were a key part of the success of the public presentations. Project Engineer Matt Falco, coordinated the preparation of the land development plan which was submitted to Patton Township on March 28, 2006, to begin the formal review and approval process. Around the same time, the plans were submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation, the water and sewer authorities, and the utility companies for permitting and approval. In May of 2006, Patton Township approved the plans, and bid documents were prepared and distributed to interested bidders. Mark directed the entire construction management process including reviewing and approving pay requests, providing weekly feedback to UEC on construction progress, and coordinating with the contractor, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. On February 16th, 2007, through the cooperative effort of Patton Township, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. and sub-contractors, United Entertainment Corporation and PennTerra Engineering, Inc., the newest theater in Centre County opened its doors to the public for the first time, right on schedule.
The Hamlet Square Subdivision is a single-family residential "cluster" development of 75 lots on a 31-acre tract of land in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County. The project owner is 185 Woods Partners, named after the property along Woods Drive which serves as the "gateway" to this community. PennTerra secured conditional use, preliminary plan, and final plan approval for this project.
A conditional use approval was required since cluster developments are allowed only by conditional use in R-1 (residential) zones. PennTerra developed and presented several conceptual plans throughout the summer of 2005 to Silver Spring Township's Planning Commission, Emergency Management Council, Recreation Advisory Council, and Board of Supervisors, in addition to offering testimony and addressing the concerns of local residents at a public hearing (as required by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code).
Stormwater management on this site was a critical component of the early conceptual design. A layout preserving the desired residential unit density, while respecting the township's stormwater management requirements, was necessary at the conditional use stage since any changes (however slight) to an approved layout under a conditional use would have required a new conditional use application, presentation, and public hearing.
The subdivision layout respects existing mature tree stands around the property perimeter, and offers a common open space area in the middle of the property. The 75 lots, all with public water and sewer service, are arranged along 3,700 linear feet of public road. The project also involved bringing an existing, non-conforming dead-end public street into compliance with township standards through the addition of a cul-de-sac. Stormwater management and water quality objectives were achieved by proposing an innovative, dual-use stormwater facility at the lower end of the property, with stormwater runoff first passing through a water quality forebay prior to routing through a detention basin.
Other aspects of the project included preparation of a Sewage Facilities Planning Module, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit application, a Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan, a Park and Recreation Report, surety (infrastructure cost) estimates, legal descriptions for each lot as well as the public road rights-of-way, and property pin sets (including concrete monumentation). Conditional use approval was secured in August 2005, with preliminary and final plan approvals secured in April and July 2006, respectively.
>Eric Casanave, Project Manager |
