During its monthly meeting last Thursday, the Gloucester County Planning Commission voted to recommend the proposed rezoning of a parcel of land on Hickory Fork Road in Harcum where the building that formerly operated as Rick’s Country Store stands.

Applicant James R. Gray Jr. (who is also a planning commission member) and property owner Patrick M. Northstein are seeking to rezone approximately 3.98 acres of the 4.81-acre parcel from Rural Business (B-4) to Suburban Countryside (SC-1) so the zoning of the property matches both its current and intended uses.

The proposed rezoning area includes the owner’s dwelling. The remainder of the property (which would remain B-4) includes the store building which has a paved parking area and two entrances (on Hickory Fork and Ark roads).

The application includes two waivers (the first to the zoning ordinance requirements and the second to the subdivision requirements). The first waiver would be to remove the requirement that a buffer must be established between non-residential uses and residential zoning districts. Gray and Northstein also requested that the requirement for on-site septic be waived as well. According to planning and zoning documents, the proffered subdivision of the property would generate the need for an off-site easement for the septic system (for the store).

Gray approached the podium to explain more about the septic issue.

“The issue about the well and the septic—the septic is separate and specific for the building (the store),” said Gray. “They (the store and residence) are sharing a well.”

“Sharing the well is not an issue, provided it can produce the water, which it has in the past,” he said.

“I think it’s (the rezoning) an opportunity to have a business that’s vacant occupied again because one thing I hate to see in this county is riding down the road and seeing a vacant business instead of building a new one,” said Gray.
Planner John C. Meyer Jr. asked for clarification on the septic system issue. “There is a single or two septic systems,” asked Meyer.

“Two septic systems,” Gray said. “One for the residence. One for the business.” He also clarified that there is one well on the residential property that is shared by both the residence and the store.

With the exception of Gray who recused himself from the vote, planners unanimously voted to recommend the rezoning change with support of both proposed waivers.