Citizens' Group Asks Township to Deny Massive Trailer Park in Bid to Save Historic Adams County Fruit Belt

YORK SPRINGS - A citizens' group formed to protect Pennsylvania's historic Fruitbelt is urging Huntington Township officials to deny a developer a further extension to build a large-scale trailer park in the heart of the state's apple-producing region.

The township planning board considers the proposal on Jan. 13 and the township supervisors will vote on Jan. 18. Both meetings begin at 7:30 p.m.

The 273-unit project, proposed by Harrisburg-area developer Robert Mumma II (operating as CACO Three Inc.), threatens to destroy an area prized for its scenic beauty and its productive farmland.

After the proposal was denied by the township in 2002, a decision supported by Adams County court, the Commonwealth Court in 2004 ruled against the township based on the absence of zoning and ordered supervisors to approve the plan.

The developer was given five years to build from the date of the supervisors vote Jan. 3, 2005, but the developer has not yet received any of the required permits. Save Our Rural Heritage (SORH) is now asking the township to deny the proposal based on deficiencies in the plan.

The 137-acre development is surrounded by active farmland in the heart of one of the nation's leading apple-producing regions. Property owners and the state have spent millions to keep this area in agriculture, including investments in stream and farmland protection programs.

This high-density development calls for a sewage treatment plant, water tower, paved roads and sidewalks. It will drain and pave acres of environmentally-sensitive wetlands, damage waterways, crowd schools, clog roads, destroy historic resources and threaten the area’s rural quality of life.

The membership of Save Our Rural Heritage (SORH) includes farmers, apple growers and families who have lived in northern Adams County for generations. For more information and background on the case, visit the links at left.