MIDDLESEX TWP — Township officials are considering an overlay district along Route 228 that would supersede the current zoning there.

Michael Hnath, the township solicitor, told the supervisors at their Wednesday night meeting that the township planning commission has looked at a handful of drafts of an overlay district.

He said the planning commission is poised to recommend a final version for approval by the board of supervisors, and that a public hearing on the document will be held in October or November.

Al Terek, the planning commission chairman, said on Thursday that the overlay zoning is necessary because of the new configuration of Route 228 planned by the state Department of Transportation through the township.

PennDOT’s $24 million project, which could begin in 2021, would dip south of Allemande Drive as it crosses Harbison Road to eliminate the sweeping curve there.

The new route would then eliminate Ball’s Bend and reconnect with Route 228 on the western end of the bend.

Terek said the new highway would be mostly commercial, with retail and residential areas as well.

The current draft of the overlay contains areas for townhouses, but Terek said the planning commission would like to forego that use for Route 228.

“(Route 228 would provide) a limited area for commercial use in the township, and we didn’t want to destroy the commercial potential that we have by loading it up with townhouses,” Terek said.

He pointed out that townhouses are a permitted use in the town center zone along Route 8.

Hnath told the supervisors Wednesday night to let township manager Travis Cavanaugh know before the Tuesday planning commission meeting whether they agree with foregoing townhouses on the overlay.

“I always thought townhomes are a good break (between residential and commercial buildings),” said Mike Spreng, supervisors chairman.

Terek said the planning commission also changed the building height in the current overlay draft.

He explained that in the past, the township’s volunteer fire company only had ladders reaching 30 feet, so the building height maximum was three stories or 36 feet.

In the overlay draft, the maximum building height followed that criteria, but the fire company now has a 50-foot aerial capability and many surrounding fire departments have aerial capabilities of more than 100 feet.

“We decided to raise the level,” Terek said.

The planning commission is recommending a 60-foot maximum building height.

The overlay places commercial zones along the new Route 228, which will supersede the agricultural and residential zones now in place, meaning some existing homes will find themselves in a commercial zone.

“It doesn’t mean they have to sell their property,” Terek said. “In the long-run, it’s going to make their properties more valuable.”

The Trant Corporation is preparing the overlay district for the new Route 228 in Middlesex, which is slightly less than two miles long.

If approved by supervisors, the overlay zoning would not go into effect until the construction of the new Route 228 alignment.