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DECEMBER 28-JANUARY 3, 2018
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Nazareth planners Recommend conditional Approval for apartment units By JUSTIN SWEITZER The Nazareth Planning Commission recommended conditional approval for a plan that would bring three townhousestyle apartment units to the borough at their Dec. 19 meeting. Borough planners recommended both conditional approval and a waiver from a Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) requirement for the land development plan of Dominic Villani Jr., whose plan calls for three single family townhouse-style units on South Green Street, near the intersection of South Green Street and West Walnut Street, according to Borough Engineer Albert Kortze. Per the borough’s SALDO, all land development plans are required to show manmade features within 200 feet of the sub-
ject property. Villani came before the planning commission seeking a waiver for that requirement, which would not require him to detail all of the manmade features within 200 feet of his property. Kortze said that Villani’s plan showed “enough information” to warrant granting the waiver from the borough’s SALDO. “I felt it really isn’t necessary to show things 200 feet away,” Kortze said. “You know, you’re going almost up to Main Street to show features that really don’t have any bearing on the property.” The motion to grant Villani the waiver unanimously passed, as did the motion to grant Villani conditional final approval on his land development plan. Villani’s proposed units will be approximately 1600-square-feet each, with every unit featuring
three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and two-car garages. Villani said he will also go before the borough zoning hearing board in January 2018 in an attempt to receive a zoning variance. “The building due south of this property was built right on the property line. So that setback in that zoning district is only five feet. That creates a hardship for that gentleman who is the present owner and for me, but possibly water getting into his property,” Villani said. “Also, any time you build a structure less than 10 feet away from another structure, I’d have to implement fire aid material, and I just felt it would be more of a tunnel-like effect, so the reaContinued on page 2
Northampton Council Passes 2018 Budget By JUSTIN SWEITZER Northampton Borough Council passed the borough budget for 2018 at their Dec. 21 meeting, retaining the current millage rate for borough taxes. Council voted unanimously to keep the tax rate for general borough purposes at 10 mills on each dollar of assessed value. The
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millage rate remains the same as the year prior, and the ordinance passed to fix the tax rate also reenacts the borough rates for the earned income tax, the local services tax, the real estate transfer tax, among others. Borough council also voted unanimously to advertise a rental unit inspection ordinance. With the draft ordinance advertised, borough council will schedule a public hearing before passage to hear concerns and suggestions from residents on the proposed ordinance. Borough resident Joan Marinkovits raised some early concerns she had about the draft ordinance, pertaining to language
that would require landlords to purchase a license for each unit that they own, as well as language that would require landlords to get relicensed every year. “Why would you have to do that?” Marinkovits asked borough council. “I really think some of this has to be looked over and fine-tuned.” In other business, council voted to co-host a shredding event sponsored by state Rep. Zachary Mako, after the success of the borough’s October shredding event, which was also co-hosted by Mako and the borough. The shredding event will take place Continued on page 2
Connie Muschko
Northampton Resident receives Teacher recognition Submitted by DONNA BACHMAN Recently, the School-to-Career Coordinator at BAVTS was announced as the 2017-2018 Pennsylvania Cooperative Education Coordinator of the Year at the Pennsylvania Cooperative Education Association Conference hosted at The Nittany Lion Inn, located in State College, Pennsyl-
vania. She was recognized for her years of service to the organization and the contributions she has made to cooperative education. The bridge signifies cooperative education and represents the assistance of transition from the classroom to employment. Connie is a former Lehigh Township resident and currently resides in Northampton.
Looking by Back Ed Pany Dr. F. J. Hahn (Originally published in 2005)
Home News readers Mr. George Maureka, Carl Rehrig, Phyllis Diehl Lamson and Arthur Diehl all remember Dr. Franklin J. Hahn. They recall his visits and
office on Main Street in Bath. He vaccinated Mrs. Grace Bonser when she attended the Mt. Vernon School and was at Grace’s Continued on page 2
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