Palmer Neighbors Reclaim the Road to Nowhere

Two Mine Lane Road homeowners in Palmer Township asked the Tuesday to expand their property lines into an unused right-of-way.

The Commission agreed, with conditions.

The Pigliacampis, Julius and Lynn, live at 1730 Mine Lane Road and Jodi Polomchak’s house is at 1720. Running between the properties is a right-of-way set aside 21 years ago when the land was developed.

David Martin, a project manager for Keystone Consulting Engineers Inc. in Bethlehem, said the land was originally meant to be a street connecting Mine Lane with future development, but it was never built. The street would have been called “Fairview.”

Martin filed the appeal to allow both homeowners to reclaim that land as part of their own properties. For the Pigliacampis, it would increase their lot by about 15,000 square feet. Their property is currently 28,000 square feet.

solicitor Charles Bruno pointed out that any future housing development behind the current properties would still need to have road access to Mine Lane Road.

“You can’t take it away from the subdivision it was supposed to benefit,” Bruno said.

Martin and the commissioners saw that the site design already had another right-of-way that would also connect to Mine Lane. That road would be named “Whitney Avenue.”

But since there are now no existing plans for any development in that area, Martin asked the commissioners to allow the homeowners to reclaim the right-of-way (known as Fairview Street) and defer construction of Whitney Avenue, since it is not really needed now.

The planning commission voted to approve the lot line adjustment with the condition that a deferral letter be sent to them.