Trio Farms Granted $30,000 Credit Reduction

Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors approved a $30,000 credit reduction for the residential housing development.

This means the amount the builder, Ashley Development Corp., needs on hand for the project has been reduced by $30,000 to a total of $1.1 million. At Wednesday night's supervisors meeting, township engineer Albert Kortze reported that Ashley had requested the credit reduction.

Trio Farms lies along the township’s border with off Newburg Road near Georgetown Road. The development plan allows for 320 houses – 180 townhouses and 140 single-family houses.

Timm Tenges, the manager for , said construction has begun on the public sewer line to service the new development. The sewer pipeline will connect Trio Farms to the main sewer line on Route 191 via Christian Springs Road. Existing houses will be able to tap into the new line.

“City sewer raises home values,” Tenges said. “Real estate agents are telling people to connect to the public sewer system ASAP.”

Township Solicitor Gary Asteak told the board that the funds used to construct the line were not taxpayer funds. The funds come from a fund specifically reserved for projects of this type.

For those residents who choose to hook up to the , the cost is estimated to be about $6,300.

In other business, the board approved giving $85,000 in 2012, up $2,409 over what was approved last year. The library requested the higher amount in order to pass its 2012 budget, Tenges explained.

“We gave them a vote of agreement on a reasonable increase over what we paid last year,” Tenges told the supervisors.

The board also agreed to advertise the state Department of Community and Economic Development Act 32 -- the Earned Income Tax ordinance. Asteak explained that the ordinance provides for the “consolidated collection of income taxes in each county.” This is just a renewal of the act, he said, which is a 1 percent tax collected by the townships.