The
Journal of the POCONO PLATEAU ©2022, All Rights Reserved
VOLUME 26, NUMBER 22
Mid-May, 2022
Pocono Heritage Land Trust hike leader Don Miller (in white baseball hat) points out interesting things about Kurmes Nature Preserve during an April outing.
(Louise Troutman photo)
With land trust’s help, family preserves 400 Pocono acres for all the seasons — peaceful and beautiful in every light, a gift of pure, natural pleasure. It’s Kurmes Paradise Creek Nature Preserve: 400 acres of undisturbed Pocono forest, preserved and open to the public. In the early 2000s, Pocono Heritage Land Trust (phlt.org) began conversations with the owner, Deborah van Dam. Her parents had loved the place. Now that they were gone and
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Tobyhanna Twp. OKs country resort zoning amendment by Ruth Isenberg
by Carol Hillestad for Pocono Heritage Land Trust Heading up Route 940 from Paradise Valley to Mount Pocono, have you ever noticed the woods that stretch away on either side? No McMansions, no big box stores, no parking lots or congestion. For two miles, nothing but the land, cloaked in native forest, changing day by day with
BOXHOLDER Presorted Standard
the land was hers, she wanted to honor their memory by protecting it — and making sure that it would always remain in its natural state. She also liked the idea of opening it to the public — hikers, anglers, photographers, dreamers — anyone who valued the natural world. Wanting to name the preserve after her parents, van Dam and her family See PRESERVE, page 2
The main order of business at the May 2 Tobyhanna Township Supervisors’ meeting was a public hearing on amending the zoning ordinance to permit country resorts. There were numerous commenters, despite the meeting being held at 9:30 a.m. so fourth grade students from Tobyhanna Elementary Center could attend to learn about local government. On April 20, the township was notified that PSSA Testing would prevent the students from attending the session, so it was recorded for them. Before the hearing on allowing country resorts, a hearing was conducted on another zoning ordinance amendment for noise exception. There were no comments, and the amendment was adopted unanimously. Supervisors chair John Kerrick recused himself from the second hearing, because he is related to the potential purchaser of one of the areas that would be affected. Vicechair David Carbone opened the hearing, noting that it had been advertised in the Pocono Record, had been reviewed by the Monroe County Planning board, and was recommended by the Tobyhanna Township Planning board.
Sam Keiper, chair of the Tobyhanna Township Planning board, made a presentation on the proposal, addressing many of the comments made by the county. He began by saying that there are 21 open space parcels in the township, 8 of which are tax exempt or owned by the state. The amendment defines a boutique resort as having no more than 100 rooms, but could also include conference centers, bars, restaurants, or other accessory uses including a helipad. The county questioned how this significantly differed from a resort, and suggested it might be better located in a commercial zone, or addressed as a special exception on a case-by-case basis. Keiper disagreed, saying he felt case-by-case reviews became political, specific requirements are better. The existing requirements would allow single family detached homes on 10 acre lots, and the local planners felt the maximum floor areas of 400 square feet for cabins as part of a country resort would make less impact on the environment. He also noted that open space is protected in many ways, including wetland controls, stormwater management and erosion control on steep slopes, all of See TOBY ZONING, page 16