The Lower Towamensing Township Zoning Hearing Board continued Tuesday night’s hearing concerning Getaway House Inc. to April 17.

There were a couple reasons for the continuance. One reason was that there wasn’t a stenographer present for the hearing. A municipal secretary usually schedules the stenographer, but Lower Towamensing Township hasn’t had a secretary since March 9.

“If we went forward without a stenographer and someone appealed, we would be right back where we are right now,” said Holly Heintzelman, the solicitor for the zoning hearing board.

Although not a reason for the continuance, the newly appointed alternate member of the zoning hearing board was also missing.

Ralph Cortazzo was appointed on March 14 by the Lower Towamensing Township supervisors during their meeting. Cortazzo wasn’t at the meeting. He had submitted a letter stating his interest in the zoning hearing board seat left vacant when James DeRosa resigned earlier this year.

The other reason for the continuance is because Getaway House Inc. did not have proof with them that they contacted the owners of properties adjacent to the land in question. Getaway was supposed to bring the green cards with them that prove each property owner had received a certified letter notifying them of the hearing.

Heintzelman asked them to send a second letter to the owners to let them know of the new hearing date. Those letters do not required to be sent certified mail, she said.

The hearing was called because Getaway House is requesting a special exception in order to use the land of a former religious retreat along Forest Inn Road for a campground. The land is in a rural conservation zoning district.

James Ord, the chairman of the zoning hearing board, said a special exception is a use that is allowed in the township. It’s not a variance, which is a use that is not already listed as a possible use. Getaway is not seeking a variances.

“In our township zoning ordinance, there’s a number of uses for any given property. They’re allowed by special exception,” Ord said. “If the parameters are met, if the conditions are met, there is no rejecting it. It’s already an allowed use as a special exception. It’s not something you can say, ‘No, you can’t have it.’ The duties of the board is to see if those conditions are met when the testimony is given.”

The 190-acre property extends from Forest Inn Road to Walnut Drive. Wintergreen Road runs through the land. It is bounded on the north by Sunset Terrace Drive housing development and businesses and residences on the south.

The property address is 205 Stoney Brook Lane, which is a short roadway off Forest Inn Road. The former retreat consists of six cottages and is recognizable by the manicured Mill Creek with its small water falls flowing parallel to the road. It was listed in January 2021 for $1.9 million, and is under contract with Getaway House.

The company is interested in placing 34 campsites in the area of Wintergreen Road and another 37 campsites on the land between Wintergreen and Walnut Drive. The area closest to the original retreat does not have any campsites.

On its website, Getaway refers to the campgrounds as outposts, and has 15 outposts nationwide.

The outposts have campsites that consist of 140 to 200 square foot cabins. The inside includes a tiny kitchen with pots, plates and other necessities, a bed, and a bathroom with a shower. The cabin also includes towels and toiletries, and a Sustenance Box with a few items like oatmeal, soups and pasta. Outside, there is a picnic table, fire ring with grilling grate, and two Adirondack chairs.