Hawley apartment developer eyes Riverside Park for planting 2.1 acres of trees

Hawley Borough Council has been asked for permission to plant as many as 920 trees to help an apartment complex that was approved by the borough in January.

The council was informed on March 13 that at the Feb. 27 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, a consultant for the apartment complex project on Barker Street advised that the trees are needed to make up for cutting trees down to place the buildings away from a narrow stream.

Councilor Michael Dougherty, who chairs Parks & Rec, related that the project developers are required to plant 2.1 acres of trees after the two apartment buildings are constructed. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requires that they have 435 trees per acre.

The buildings are to be placed on the vacant parcel at the end of Barker Street behind the Hawley Village Apartments, with one-way vehicular access in from Church Street and a one-way exit via Barker Street. The unnamed stream, a tributary to the Lackawaxen River, is on one side of the property and being deemed a waterway, is regulated by the DEP.

The consultant suggested on behalf of the developer that the acreage of trees be planted on the floodplain on the river side of the earthen flood levee in Riverside Park, Dougherty said. The apartment project is on the other side from the levee, separated by the railroad tracks.

"We didn't give them any definite answer. It doesn't have to move very fast, but I did want to make sure everyone in the borough knew what is being proposed right now," he said.

Elaine Herzog, who is council vice president as well as on Parks & Rec, added, "The requirement by DEP for mitigation is as proximal as possible. Yes, that may be the most proximal, but it is not the most practical."

Dougherty questioned if there would be enough room with the 15-foot setback required from the levee. Council President Ann Monaghan expressed the same opinion: "I don't think that area could logically hold 900+ trees," she said. "It would kill the levee."

"To be fair, that amount of trees are not expected to live," Dougherty said. "That is how much the reforestation project calls over."

Councilor Joseph Faubel, who is also on Parks & Rec, said around 75% of the 920 trees would be expected to live. Faubel also expressed concern over losing open space.

There already are a few small groves growing on that side.

Dougherty said that the project developer received an informal email from the county agreeing that the river side of the levee would be a good place for the trees.

Another idea Herzog shared is to plant the trees on the ridge to hide the stone quarry. Faubel suggested letting them plant some of the trees on certain parts of the floodplain and the rest elsewhere.

The council discussed having the consultant, Scott Reinhart, attend one of their meetings to discuss the proposal.

The conditional use request for the new apartment complex was approved Jan. 10. The developers are planning to construct two buildings that will be two and a half stories high, not to exceed the 35-foot height limit required by the zoning ordinance. Each building will be 150 feet long and 72 feet wide and have a gable roof. One is to have 22 apartments and the other 24. Parking for 80 vehicles is planned.

The developer originally asked the borough to be able to build a single structure as high as 60 feet, which was turned down. The developer was under constraint by DEP to maintain a 150-foot setback from the waterway, and yet have enough apartments to make the project financially viable.

1884 minutes book

At the January meeting, Mayor John Nichols presented the original Hawley Borough Council meeting minutes from when the borough was incorporated in 1884 through mid-1897. The council approved donating the book to the Wayne County Historical Society for safekeeping, with the agreement that a spiral-bound copy of the book be provided to the borough.

The Society has already scanned the pages to make a digital version, for research; the original will be preserved. Minutes from before the 1952 borough hall fire were presumed to have been lost, but the original book recently was found in the estate of the late Ann Morgan, who was mayor for 28 years. Her son gave it to Nichols.

More Hawley business

The council approved hosting a community-wide yard sale on Saturday, Aug. 31, waiving the usual permit fee charged to residents. This is a week after Wally Lake Fest. Downtown Hawley Partnership will help promote it.

Forrest Erway took the oath of office as a new Hawley police officer. He has experience as a police officer for the Eastern Pike Regional Police Department. Chief Daniel Drake said that Hawley now has a force of 15 officers, all part-time.

Drake is looking for a carnival company that can be scheduled for this summer and can provide an agreeable contract. The borough was not able to schedule one last year.

At the last Parks & Rec meeting, Geneva Dougherty requested that a stairway be installed to be able to access the dog park more easily from the trail on top of the levee.

Hawley council meets on the second Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 94 Main Ave.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Hawley apartment developer asks to plant trees at Riverside Park