The Kilbuck Township Planning Commission has given conditional approval to the Carey's Bluff housing development, with details to be worked out before final approval is received from the township supervisors.

The Carey's Bluff project will be located on approximately 60 acres between Hill and Duff roads. Two-thirds of the development will be in Glenfield, with the remaining one-third in Kilbuck Township. It will include single family homes, as well as condominiums. Attorney Kevin McGeegan, who represents developer Catalyst Homes, said that the developer was looking for subdivision approval for six lots along Duff Road, approval for construction of five quad-plex pads with a private road, and approval for the construction of a private sewer treatment plant in Kilbuck Township.

Of particular concern to Kilbuck officials is the sewage treatment facility. According to township secretary Harry Dilmore, the conditions imposed by the planning commission are still being worked out, but basically indicate that the developer must address concerns and issues raised by Kilbuck's engineer. These include the exact location of the treatment plant and how much of a security bond the developer will have to maintain to ensure that the plant never becomes a burden to Kilbuck taxpayers. McKeegan said that at this point, the developer had no problem with satisfying the conditions.

McKeegan and Kilbuck solicitor Charles Means will continue to negotiate an arrangement which could include escrow funds, insurance, the posting of security by the developer, covenants contained in the development's deeds, and intermunicipal agreements with Glenfield. Means said that an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Glenfield Borough was one of the conditions set by the planning commission. In the event that Kilbuck would have to pay any costs for the treatment plant, the agreement would require Glenfield to pay its share of the costs.

An engineer working for Catalyst, Dan Gilmore said that there were three concerns with a sewage treatment plant: appearance, noise from air blowers, and odor. He stated that an earth mound and trees could be constructed so that nearby homes would not have a view of the sewage plant. Noise from the blowers can be deflected by the earth mound, the use of mufflers for the blowers, and the use of a special "sound block" in the building to deaden the sound, he said. According to Gilmore, odor is not a problem if the plant is designed properly and has the proper amount of air. If the plant is designed and operated properly, no smell is noticeable until a person is within 5 to 10 feet of the plant, and they should notice only an "earthy garden smell," he said.

Supervisor Tom Tomaro asked whether the sewage treatment plant could be expanded if necessary. Gilmore told him that the plant would be designed with a 5 percent margin over the expected. The plant's tanks cannot be made too much larger for the expected capacity or the plant will not work properly, he said.

Means said that the supervisors have until April 30 to act on the planning commission's recommendation.