Wednesday
September 18, 2024 
The Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors has granted approval to a requested property subdivision on the 400 block of Brownsburg Road West, and a number of conditions will have to be met to help mitigate stormwater runoff impacts.
Triumph Development Group received conditional use approval and preliminary/final subdivision approval to widen an existing driveway and subdivide out a second lot upon which a single-family home could be built. The previously unsubdivided property is about 10 acres and already has a single-family home that will remain.
While only a minor subdivision, the project sparked considerable discussion at a supervisors’ meeting earlier this year, as several nearby residents said there’s already a problem with excessive runoff causing private-property-damaging flooding in the area. They worried that adding more impervious surface in the form of a widened driveway and new home could exacerbate flooding.
To help counteract potential additional deleterious impacts, supervisors attached conditions to their approval that include establishing a “no-mow” area in a wetland transition zone and requiring reforestation in that wetland transition zone. Triumph will also have to comply with rules that require stormwater controls to be in place to prevent creating a worse runoff condition.
In a move beyond the subdivision conditions, supervisors have also instructed the township’s Environmental Advisory Council to examine possible solutions for helping to address the runoff issues in the area. Township Manager Dave Nyman said the EAC is reviewing the situation but has not yet made remediation recommendations.
“We plan to address some of the stormwater issues involving drainage grates on Brownsburg in next year’s road program when creating the 2024 municipal budget later this year,” Nyman said.
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