JACKSON TWP — The township has a reputation of being difficult to work with regarding development or subdivision plans, said township supervisors Chairman Roy Huffman at last week's supervisors meeting.

Because of that, the supervisors made several moves they hope will improve the situation.

The board voted last week to make a host of technical revisions to update the zoning and land development ordinances.

The supervisors also modified the township's stormwater management requirements so that they meet the state's latest design and standards for water detention and retention basins.

The supervisors hope those changes will reduce the number of modification requests from development plans that have, at times, bogged down the approval process.

The supervisors also gave more responsibilities to township manager Rich Crown by appointing him to a newly created position of planning director.

The new title and Crown's responsibilities come at no additional cost to the township.

Huffman said the planning director will deal with developers and residents on issues that shouldn't take up the time of the planning commission, the supervisors and the smaller land developers.

"The hope is to speed up the approval process for small developments," said Crown.

Housing developments or land subdivisions of five lots or fewer have the option of going through the "expedited process" by getting all the permitting and approvals directly through the planning director.

That would reduce approval time by applicants not having to go through the formal land development process with both the planning commission and the supervisors.

The development process for larger housing and commercial developments remains unchanged.

"We don't know what it is going to be like, but we are going to see if it works. If if doesn't work, we will abolish it," said Huffman of the new planning director position.

The supervisors will re-evaluate the planning director position at the end of next year.