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A number of project proposals concerning poultry producer Bell & Evans highlighted the Bethel Township Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Discussions about a waiver request for sidewalks for its planned cook plant and the rezoning of a property it owns at 241 Blue Mountain Road were two major projects to be considered at the meeting.
During public comment at the beginning of the meeting, two township residents voiced concerns about the rezoning of the Blue Mountain property from agriculture to manufacturing, especially if Bell & Evans officials were to later sell those 63 acres without developing them. Several planning commissions members expressed the same concerns.
Read More: Rezoning request by Bell & Evans tabled by Bethel Twp. Planning Commission
Bell & Evans officials had requested on two occasions the rezoning for construction of packaging and storage facilities on the Blue Mountain property, which they purchased in April 2023 for $2.5 million. The first request came shortly after it purchased the land and again in January 2024.
Planning commission chairman Bev Martel said she wished to hold off on considering the zoning request since the township is working on its comprehensive plan. Planning commission member and township supervisor Bruce Light said the comprehensive plan won’t regulate an individual site.
He also echoed what a township resident said during public comment.
“It’s part of agriculture, the manufacturing part of it. It’s taking agricultural products and making food,” said Light. “I see what she says, that we don’t want to rezone it and then they sell it to Amazon – so we want to be careful that way.”
Michael Bracrella, chief operating officer for Bell & Evans, said the company would accept an alternative to rezoning the land. Company officials had previously announced at the December 2024 planning commission meeting their intentions to build the facilities at this location within the next decade.
“If it’s a conditional use, if it’s a variance, we know what we want to do there,” said Bracrella. “So if that would ease people’s minds – the only reason we went with manufacturing is because that’s what our current (adjacent) property is zoned for. We’d have no issues in going with either one of those (proposals).”
Since the rezoning request had been tabled in January, the planning commission did not have to re-table it following discussion Tuesday.
In a separate matter, planning commission members granted a two-year waiver request by Bell & Evans officials for sidewalk construction for its planned cook plant project in Fredericksburg at Fredericksburg Road and State Route 22.
The waiver states that the planning commission will waive SALDO (Subdivision and Land Development) requirements for a sidewalk on the southside of Route 22 as required with its land development plan for the new plant in lieu of a separate sidewalk/walking trail plan for the other side of the highway.
That plan will be for construction of an approximate one-mile sidewalk/walking trail on the north side of Route 22 running from Legionnaire Drive at the American Legion to Redner’s Market at Blue Mountain Road. The provision also states the separate sidewalk plan must be completed and submitted to the township by February 2027.
Bell & Evans president Scott Sechler said he wants time to do the project correctly to ensure user safety and to make it long-lasting for the enjoyment of community members and his employees.
“I don’t mind doing it, I like sidewalks. We have a nice sidewalk up the hill. I think sidewalks are good for the community, but I think sometimes things have to be done at the right time in the right place. Otherwise, we create more problems than it’s worth,” he said.
The landscape in the area of Wenger Memorial Park includes a hill that runs between the park and the company’s Plant 2. Sechler noted that additional planning is needed to make the project work properly.
“I think eventually you’re gonna have a sidewalk all the way down to Esther’s (Restaurant),” he said. “If that’s not done right, and some car runs off the road there, at the speed limit of that road, it’s not like a 35-mile-hour speed limit, right? So that needs to be developed differently with that high rate of speed.”
Sechler also suggested the sidewalk should rise above Route 22 and be incorporated into the current landscaping, which includes a creek that runs between the American Legion, the park and the existing hill.
“That sidewalk probably should be even higher than the road. It should be set back from the road. Even guardrails or some kind of fencing should be considered,” said Sechler. “I think that anything on that highway there should be thrown out and then just slap a sidewalk in. I don’t mind spending the money doing a nice sidewalk, but it should be really thought out so it’s also safe.”
A 40-minute discussion concerning where the sidewalk should be located – either the north or south side, the latter being on the same side as the proposed plant – was among other topics. Other concerns raised included snow and general maintenance of the walking path.
Some planning commission members expressed concerns about Bell & Evans making promises for other projects that haven’t been completed. One project is traffic safety improvements at the intersection of Blue Mountain and Chestnut Hill roads.
The request to move the sidewalk is tied to avoiding potential right-of-way issues with the existing Sherman Williams warehouse and a nearby wetland. Additionally, walkers using a south side trail would eventually have to cross Route 22 – most likely at the intersection with Blue Mountain Road – to return to the north side of the highway, which connects to Fredericksburg.
Sechler suggested sidewalk/trail construction could coincide with its planned feed mill, which is slated to be built in the next two years and on the north side of Route 22. He noted the feed mill was to be built first but customer requests for a cook plant for prepared foods has taken precedence. He said salmonella and avian flu concerns have necessitated building the cook plant first instead of the planned feed mill.
In other business, the planning commission voted to:
- Approve review of the Bell & Evans transportation center preliminary/final land development plan.
- Approve the sewer planning module for review for the Fireman’s Park renovation project.
- Approve the sewer planning module for review for the cook plant project.
- Remove the Hanula sketch plan and the Dale Yingst sketch plan for Palmyra Homes Inc. from future agendas due to inaction from both parties on their respective projects.
- Accept the minutes of their Jan. 21 meeting.
The next meeting of the Bethel Township Planning Commission is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the municipal building, 3015 S. Pine Grove St., Fredericksburg.
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