Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The Warren County Planning Commission on Tuesday reviewed the prospect of bringing Farmington Township back into the county’s zoning program. Goats and new home construction were other topics of conversation during the meeting.

About half of the county is covered under the county’s zoning ordinance, including several of the most populated townships including Conewango, Glade, Pine Grove and Pleasant.

Data shows 24 new home permits in 2023 in those municipalities at a reported value of $4.66 million.

Planning Director Michael Lyon cautioned that the values are self-reported by the permit holder.

“It’s just a guide mark to see what’s going on,” he said, acknowledging there is “very little ebb and flow” in the number of permits issued over the last five years.

He pointed out that the data show that “after the pandemic, the cost of a new home increased significantly,” reporting that some applicants said that increase was over 30 percent.

Lyon said that will be a number to follow over the next couple years.

Commission chair Paul Pascuzzi said the increased values is a “trend in the right direction” and said the total is likely understated since it’s self-reported.

“It can also be a bad sign,” Lyon said. “The cost of a single family home is almost out of reach of the middle class.”

One target project on the county’s radar this year is a county-wide housing study.

“The end result is to understand where our gaps are, where our shortcomings are,” Pascuzzi said.

He argued that if the county doesn’t have supply to meet demand that people will build elsewhere.

He also pointed out that much of the new home construction is occurring in the townships.

County data shows $1.5 million in commercial development in 2023 but $1 million of that total is a renewal of a permit for the proposed Starbucks at the Warren Commons.

Lyon said that project is currently working through an amendment to a subdivision that will be presented to Conewango Township officials next week.

FARMINGTON

TOWNSHIP ZONING

The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a recommendation to the county commissioners to bring Farmington Township back into the county’s zoning process.

Lyon said that Farmington was one of the initial townships zoned when the county zoning ordinance was enacted in 1965 but left the program in 2012.

Much of the township, unsurprisingly, is set to be zoned ACR – agriculture, conservation, recreation.

Lyon said the next step in the process will be a public hearing before the commissioners.