Stop Industrial Zoning Expansion in Connellsville Township
Fayette County Commissioners, Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission
On October 15 the Fayette County Commissioners heard a zoning case regarding a petition by Magic Eye Partners, LLC, to expand M1 Light Industrial zoning to several parcels adjacent to a 120+ acre M1 parcel along the Youghiogheny River near Narrows Road. The Commissioners plan to make their decision on this matter on November 19.
This comes on the heels of the Fayette County Planning Commission's draft data center ordinance, which in its current form would allow data center construction on M1 and M2 parcels within 500 feet of occupied residences and 300 feet of property lines. By adding more M1 land to the map in Connellsville Township, it is possible that a data center could land in one of Fayette County's thriving communities, and impact public health, the environment, property values, and recreation.
A representative of Magic Eye claims the rezoning petition would simply open more possibilities for future development of the site since it sits above an abandoned coal mine. If this was the case, one may say that more than half of Fayette County should be rezoned to M1 or M2 due to the legacy of coal mining in the region.
While the property considered in the petition is in Connellsville Township it is just outside the bounds of the City Connellsville and adjacent to a recreationally robust section of the Youghiogheny River, just downstream of the bustling Yough River Park, and within view of the acclaimed Great Allegheny Passage trail.
If anything, recreation assets like the Great Allegheny Passage and the Youghiogheny River should warrant more protective zoning not less protective zoning.
Mountain Watershed Association asks that Fayette County not approve the rezoning petition without a written and approved plan for the future of the property, and that a clause be added stating no data center or cryptocurrency mine will be developed on the site in order to protect Connellsville Township and its natural, historic, and community assets.
Please take a second to sign this petition, and make a plan to attend the hearing tomorrow at 1:30PM.
Petition by
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Sponsored by
To:
Fayette County Commissioners, Zoning Hearing Board, Planning Commission
From:
[Your Name]
Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Zoning Hearing Board, and Planning Commission,
Magic Eye Partners, LLC, claim that M-1 zoning gives them "the best opportunity to redevelop the property because the entire site is undermined by the former coal mine," and that they are pursuing a rezoning petition to "continue evaluating development opportunities, infrastructure improvements, and potential investment in the area."
If there are no current plans for the site, why rezone it now? In the County's Zoning Ordinance, Article IX, §1000-900 (E) clearly states that rezoning applications should include a development narrative, calculations of estimated average daily traffic, an environmental assessment (if applicable), documentation of impacts to the local school district as a result of the proposed development, and more. If there are no current plans for the site, the county cannot approve the application per their own zoning ordinance, plain and simple.
Mountain Watershed asks that the County not approve this zoning petition without a written and approved plan for the future of the property that adheres with the Fayette County Zoning Ordinance, along with a clause stating that no data center or cryptocurrency mining facility may be developed on the site in order to protect those who live, work, and play in Connellsville Township.