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Proposed Sleepy Hollow Development

If you are concerned about the destruction of our cherished green space that we call Sleepy Hollow, now is the time to act before it’s too late! It’s critical that you attend the Planning Commission meeting and send an email to the Commission members and call our 3 elected Township Supervisors to voice your concerns and opposition – before it’s too late!!  PLEASE sign the Sleepy Hollow Change.org petition with 13,200 signatures (TWP contact info is there)

WHEN: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7pm

WHERE: Board Room at the Administrative Building, 2675 Brownsville Road, 15129

THE CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE

1.     The very name of the proposed project is a slap in the face of anyone who loves this special place – “Majestic Woods” NO it’s the DESTRUCTION OF THE MAJESTIC WOODS!!

2.     Our elected officials like supervisor Vogel ran on a campaign of “Preserving our natural green spaces” now he certainly appears to support another “DONE DEAL” development before a public hearing ever took place. Please eradicate those two words from our South Park Township appointed and elected officials’ vocabulary.

3.     All of our appointed and paid professional sat silent as one of them stated that despite the massive litigation and problems that this developer has brought to nearby communities, we were told no problems exist at Zokaites’ other development the “Villas of South Park”! Until we uncovered the very next day, the history since the land was cleared in 2021. Flooding issues have continue to plague Snowden road, nearby roads and homes as evidenced by videos, personal accounts, and the testimony of impacted residents to Gateway Engineers, township employees, and our elected supervisors at their meetings. Why are our paid professionals protecting the developers not the residents? We deserve an answer! Please Google “Frank Zokaites” for more information!

4.     The developer intentionally misrepresented to WTAE and WPXI the distance between the closest point of the development to the buffalo as 1600 feet. This is an easily verifiable number on Google Earth that is exactly as we stated as 560 feet. If we’re lied to about easily verifiable information, how can we trust him on promises and assertions on anything relating to this proposed project. We need to wake up, before we are the next community who has to resort to litigation to clean up the environmental disaster left behind!  Our historic Buffalo Family deserves protection from this development!

5.     The developer plans to “repave” and widen Sleepy Hollow Road to 20 feet, when in reality major excavation would be required. WHY,  as the only way in or out for 108 homes, would past precedent - that required other nearby roads to be considerably wider, Westchester and Old Post are 26 feet, Stoltz Road is 24 feet -  be ignored.

6.     The nearby stables on Stoltz and Sleepy Hollow have used this road for over 100 years to access the park trails at the end of Sleepy Hollow. Well settled PA law would require an accommodation for this “Pre-existing Nonconforming” use of Sleepy Hollow Road. A horse trail would be required on the new road!

7.     PennDOT’s required sightlines of 250 feet will be challenging given the topography of Sleepy Hollow Road.

8.     The existing bridge that connects to Stoltz Road is only 18 feet wide. Clearly a new bridge (that the township would pay for - $$) would be necessary to accommodate the new road lane widths, sidewalks, shoulders, and horse trail. If not, can you imagine the litigation risk as the vehicular, human, bike, and horse traffic all bottleneck at what will be a very narrow but very busy bridge. This is a very foreseeable litigation nightmare!

9.     Developer’s hired gun ACA Engineering properly stated that because of the 100 year old “Room and Pillar” mines under Sleepy Hollow Road, the road area is at the highest graded level for subsidence. An influx of groundwater with the cleared mountain like hillside and surface activity – ie road construction, etc – are two of the main factors that cause these old coal roof supports to fail. All of which would be recommended by our Planning Commission and Supervisors as a part of this ill-advised development!

10. A government’s protection against litigation does not apply to roads and sidewalks – the township has a DUTY to protect the public from all KNOWN and FORESEEABLE hazards and dangerous conditions. Another litigation nightmare for the township and all of us? WHY?? We’re chasing nickels (school tax revenue) and losing large $ in litigation!

11. EMERGENCY RESPONSE ISSUES – with the planned minimum narrow road, use of the existing narrow bridge – and clear township responsibility and liability can you imagine the very foreseeable issues caused by the only one way in or out design? Imagine an accident on the road or bridge with entrapment and an ambulance not able to get through to a resident in one of the 108 houses suffering a life threatening medical emergency. And just remember, the attorneys representing the family of the person who died because the ambulance could not get to them, will have access to all of the warnings and information that the township had when they approved this development! Another litigation nightmare for the township to deal with!!

12. The Sleepy Hollow stream erroneously defined as “non regulated” to minimize necessary oversight to protect this site and Piney Fork Creek, Peters Creek, and the Monongahela River from the impending environmental disaster! This is a perpetual stream with fish!

13. Fear of the hillside collapse behind Old Post Road homes impacting families and kids.

14. Destruction of rare old-growth forest that the County Park wants to preserve.

15. Potential presence of endangered species and habitats not properly evaluated.

16. A deeply flawed “insider” traffic study that found that adding 108 families to a narrow road, narrow bridge with no recommended improvements and no knowledge of a new under construction huge middle school complex just up the road – would be FAVORABLE from a traffic study perspective. This is just a part of the nonsensical “insider” far from independent opinions our Planning Commission is asked to rely on to approve this sloppily prepared proposed development!

PLEASE HELP US SAVE SLEEPY HOLLOW FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS – JOIN US ON 4/24

By: Tim Foster - My observations and opinion on the important reasons to oppose this development.