Planning Commission Balks at Dead-End Street Plan

A developer was told to go to the South Whitehall Township Public Safety Committee and get its blessing to barricade N. 31st Street before a project to build luxury homes there can proceed, according to a published report.

The township Planning Commission made that recommendation to developers of 30 West as it delayed making a final decision on the project Thursday night, according to The Morning Call. Township law prohibits dead-end streets and a waiver of that law will be needed, the newspaper reported.

The developer of the project hopes to build four luxury single-family homes along N. 31st Street and another four homes along N. Marshall Street off of the 3100 block of Washington Street.

Cul de sacs were initially planned on both streets. However, an updated plan called for the extension of N. 31st Street with a breakaway barrier where the street would end at the rear of commercial properties along Tilghman Street, according to Township Planner Gregg R. Adams.

The idea was to allow the project to connect to other township streets without providing an inviting shortcut through the residential neighborhood for motorists hoping to avoid Cedar Crest Boulevard.

The breakaway barriers would allow emergency services to access N. 31st Street from Tilghman if they need to.