MIDDLESEX TWP — The township supervisors approved the final plan for the long-discussed Grey Hawk Land Development Plan Phase 1 and 2 with added engineering conditions at a meeting Wednesday night.

The planned development, located near Overbrook Road, has been the topic of discussions between the township, the developer, local residents and the Glade Run Lake Conservancy group since as far back as 2019.

Earlier this year, Butler County Common Pleas Judge S. Michael Yeager had signed a consent order granting the appeal from Grey Hawk of the 2019 denial of preliminary approval. The order was meant as a compromise between interested parties.

At the last Middlesex Township meeting on Sept. 15, voting on the plan was tabled to allow for communication between those parties: the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, the township and the developers.

The final plan included conditions that the basins in the plan be adjusted to institute best management practices for sediment removal.

“It's for more controls to limit the amount of sediment that would be leaving the basins that could get into the neighboring streams, and could eventually get into the lake,” said Jeffrey Mikesic, township engineer.

“We are happy to continue to work with the conservancy in regards to fine-tuning some of the retention facilities to some suggestions that they have,” said Steven Victor, a partner with Victor Wetzel Associates. “We will continue that dialogue, and if there are any changes or modifications to the plan, we will be happy to come back to the board and make you aware of those.”

Further questions

Two attorneys working with the Glade Run Lake Conservancy spoke on the concerns that the group has about the development.

Damon Weiss of Ethos Collaborative said the conservancy would like more information about the density of tree planting as well as for more water from the development to be diverted towards the nearby wetlands area to better maintain the original hydraulic conditions.

“The development is very, very close to that lake,” Weiss said. “The lake really is right there, and everything that drains from (the development) drains directly to the lake in very short distances. All that sediment that might come from this development effort has the potential to undo a lot of the good work that has been done on the lake these last 10 years.”

Timothy Fitchett of Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services emphasized the importance of the conditions suggested by the conservancy, especially in light of the previous consent order decided by a judge.

“We think (the conditions) are necessary to comply with the consent order,” he said. “We wanted to make it clear that we are hoping that we can work with the developer and make sure that the conditions can all work out. We hope that those conditions would be a part of the approval. But they are willing to take it back in front of (a judge) to enforce the consent order.”

Susan Salter, a Middlesex resident and director with the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, asked about which types of plants would be planted as part of the development.

“I would like to see in writing which plants they are going to be because we do not want any invasive (plants) planted there,” she said, mentioning that she had heard of other developments planting non-native plants instead of native flora.

Victor indicated that information about which plants were planned for Grey Hawk was available, and that he was willing to work with the conservancy to not plant invasive plants.

The next step for Grey Hawk will be for a developer's agreement to be drafted by the township.

“Myself and the engineer will send it off to the developer to sign, and then they are free to move forward with their permits through (the Department of Environmental Protection),” said township manager Adam Hartwig.