Huntington Asks PennDOT for Second Turn-Lane Option

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 by Scot A. Pitzer, Staff Writer for The Gettysburg Times

Huntington Township supervisors are asking PennDOT for help regarding a controversial development proposal slated to bring 280 mobile homes to the municipality.

PennDOT, Huntington officials say, has reviewed CACO Three Inc.'s 'Peakview' proposal, planned for the area of Pa. 94, near White Oak Tree Road, adjacent to Idaville-York Springs Road.

In a traffic study prepared by PennDOT, a left-hand turn lane on Pa. 94, the agency deems, is necessary for traffic to access Peakview. However, Huntington officials feel a right-hand turn lane is also warranted.

Therefore, they're asking PennDOT for a second opinion.

"Logic would say if you have a right turn lane," said supervisor Chairman David Boyer, at the township's monthly meeting Thursday, "you should have a left."

A group of local residents, Save Our Rural Heritage (SORH), asked supervisors Thursday to contact PennDOT and express Huntington's turn-lane concerns. Supervisors said they would write the agency a letter requesting a timely response.

PennDOT's recommendation for just one turn lane has left many citizens scratching their heads.

"With our review of the traffic study," said SORH member Harrison Fair, "I don't know how they determined the need for one turn-lane and not the other."

Plans for Peakview, a proposal submitted by CACO Three developer Robert Mumma, II, have been in the works for six years.

Development representatives were absent at Huntington's meeting Thursday. Mumma has not returned calls seeking comment.

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When the developer's engineer, TRG, conducted its own traffic appraisal last year, the study said neither left nor right hand turn lanes "are warranted" on Pa. 94.

According to CACO's traffic study, the developer's engineer estimated the proposed mobile home park would generate 264 vehicular trips per day.

That estimate differs significantly from a report produced by Adams County planners.

According to the Adams County Office of Planning and Development, the mobile home park is expected to produce 1,746 trips per day. Every day, county planners predict,, Peakview could generate six vehicular trips per mobile home.

CACO Three is still seeking numerous required permits before it can submit final Peakview plans. In order for the plans to be finalized, the developer must meet both state and federal requirements.

In 1999, CACO first submitted its mobile home park plans. Huntington supervisors rejected the proposal. The developer sued, and lost its case in the Adams County Court of Common Pleas.

But CACO appealed the decision, and won in Commonwealth Court, forcing supervisors to approve Peakview's preliminary plans in January 2005.

Contact Scot Pitzer at 334-1131 ext 247, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it