Buffalo Township mega-development on hold as builder, municipal authority hammer out water, sewage deal

A planned 627-unit subdivision in Buffalo Township is on hold until the developer and the local water and sewage authority agree on how quickly to hook up homes.

For the third time in as many months, the township’s planning commission Wednesday withheld approval for Charter Homes & Neighborhoods to break ground on a mixed-use development called Sparrows at the intersection of Routes 28 and 356.

“The main driver is still the sewage issue,” said R. Grant McConnell, commission chairman. “It sounds like Charter and the municipal authority have made some progress in working out their issues, but they aren’t quite there yet.”

According to Kristine Donaldson, who manages the Municipal Authority of Buffalo Township, the parties recently struck a deal to allow 100 initial tap-ins.

Additional connections will be phased in once water and sewage treatment plant expansions are completed. That’s expected to happen by fall 2027.

The authority’s engineer has since identified some “conflicts,” as Donaldson put it, in the plans presented by Charter. Officials have not released any specifics.

Laura Curran, manager of neighborhood development at Charter, did not return requests for comment.

McConnell expects the planning commission to green-light Sparrows in May.

Charter also is seeking a conditional use from supervisors to make certain housing units slightly smaller than what’s spelled out in the town center zoning district, which was created in 2023 specifically to accommodate Sparrows.

A conditional use hearing was booked for March 12 but was postponed. A new date has not been advertised.

Several state permits also yet have to be issued.

Charter is based in Lancaster and has made its name building subdivisions across the central and western parts of Pennsylvania.

Curran presented township officials with sketch drawings of her company’s vision for 349 single-family homes, 278 townhomes and 20,000 square feet of commercial space on 70 acres of undeveloped land.

That drew resident concerns about strain on public services and further erosion of Buffalo Township’s fleeting rural character.

The plan calls for another 50 acres, mostly wooded area, to be marked for preservation.

Multiphase construction would start commercial and end residential.

To help motorists in and out of Sparrows without snarling traffic, a stoplight would be installed where Route 356 meets Silverville Road.

Construction is expected to take seven to 10 years.

Property records show Charter has not yet purchased the two parcels that make up its proposal.