News

July 29, 2009

Exeter to mull possibility of a Wal-Mart

B. GARRET ROGAN Times Leader Correspondent

EXETER – Borough council confirmed Aug. 18 as the date for a public rezoning hearing regarding a property on Wyoming Avenue that is being considered for a possible Wal-Mart Super Center.

At Tuesday night’s work session, Council President Paul Murkawski downplayed the significance of the hearing. “This is just the first of what could possibly be many hearings,” he said.

Council member Joseph Esposito echoed Murkawski’s sentiments, saying that he “highly doubts” that the hearing will even include a vote on whether the property is rezoned from a light industrial to a mercantile classification.

“It’s going to be a give and take,” Esposito said in reference to the property owners. “They’re going to present their proposal and the council and members of the public will be able to ask questions.”

Council has previously requested that the property owners and/or the developers fund an independent study on the possible economic and environmental impacts a Wal-Mart would have on the community. The owners and developers have refused to fund such a study.

When Exeter resident Mary Pat Coleman asked council whether the borough might pay for the study, Murkawski responded, “that is up to the six members on this council.” There was no further public discussion on the issue.

Despite the refusal of the owners to fund the study, Esposito remains confident that it will be conducted. Although he would not say whether he believed the owners or the developers would pay for it, he did say that the borough definitely would not.

In other news, attorney William Kerr representing J&G Construction pressed council to allow his client to move forward with its plans to construct a subdivision on Packer Avenue. The company applied for a subdivision permit in October 2008 and received a conditional approval for its project by the Exeter Borough Planning Committee on July 8. The company has however honored the regulations set forth by the Hick’s Creek Moratorium that prevents any new construction in the watershed zone until flooding issues are resolved.

Kerr maintained that J&G Construction has redesigned its storm drainage system in such a way that it would not affect Hick’s Creek. He requested that his client be exempt from abiding by the moratorium.

Tom Barnard of the Hick’s Creek Watershed Association was in attendance to advise council to take two matters into consideration before making any decision. He pointed out that the unique hydraulics of Hick’s Creek make standard drainage systems ineffective. He also pointed out that a proposed storage pond might harm ground water in the area.

Council will address a possible change in the wording of the moratorium at next week’s regular meeting. Such a change could allow the subdivision construction to proceed. Council members, however, would not make any commitment to such a decision before consulting municipal engineer Howard Ashe.

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