West Penn Township hopes to find out the status on the water provisions for the draft of its water extraction ordinance and a timetable of when it should expect to have the comments.

Ted Rosen, chairman of the West Penn Township Water Resource & Planning Steering Committee, asked supervisors earlier this month when the revised Yeager/Datte draft of the water extraction ordinance will be available.

Rosen also asked how it will be distributed for public comment, and what the timetable is going forward for enacting it.

Township solicitor Paul J. Datte said he will try to get that information, “but, please have everyone bear in mind that law firms have not been deemed an essential service.

“We can (and are) working remotely, but everyone’s offices are closed with very few exceptions,” Datte said. “Any timetable for anything at the township level is suspect at this point in time due to COVID-19 and the governor’s restrictions on nonessential business. I would hope that everyone would recognize that.”

Datte also said with that in mind, he will still try to find out the status on the water provisions and see if they can give the township some kind of timetable of when it should expect to have their comments.

He said that the public will have ample opportunity to comment because it will go in front of the Planning Commission, there will be a public notice, public hearing and then it will go in front of the board of supervisors.

Last month, it was stated that the township has addressed nearly all of the outstanding issues from February’s public meeting on the draft zoning ordinance.

Supervisors said last month that Urban Research & Development Corporation asked the township’s planning commission to review and give their recommendations to the board.

The board approved the following planning commission recommendations:

• A draft water ordinance was sent to attorney Jordan Yeager’s firm to review. The firm will review the zoning ordinance and send it back to the township with any comments.

• One lot west of Fort Franklin Road south of Blue Mountain Drive, and another lot east of Fort Franklin Road west of Route 309 should remain the same and stay conservation.

• To connect the two areas of rural residential zoning along Mush Dahl Road in the vicinity of Chain Circle, to remain agricultural so that the rural residential zoning is continuous along the road.

• To provide a village center zoning district along Municipal Drive east to Robin Hill Lane remain rural residential along this part of Municipal Drive east of the township building.

• That golf courses be permitted by right in all zoning districts, and that a 20-acre minimum lot size apply in conservation, agricultural, agricultural conservation and rural residential districts.

• To allow customary accessory building without needing a principal building on lot, and that the accessory use definition be added to the definition of accessory building and to change the side and back setback of property line for a fence in highway commercial to 5 feet instead of 15 feet.

• Only one recommendation, that the south side of Route 895 east of Bailey Building Supply, where there is a campground, should be added as a Village Center, which allows a variety of less intensive types of commercial businesses, is currently on hold.