SUGAR NOTCH — Borough leaders have two months to consider whether to approve preliminary plans by a developer to build a 148-unit housing development.
Quattro Solidi LLC seeks to build 148 two-unit townhouses on mine-scarred land now owned by the nonprofit Earth Conservancy.
At a public hearing Wednesday night, an engineer for the development Quattro Solidi LLC outlined the project for borough council.
Council previously granted conditional approval for the project, something similar to zoning approval.
The developer and its engineer promised the community will be very similar to the Sand Springs golf community in Drums, Butler Twp., and built by the same builder, Tuskes Homes.
Sugar Notch Borough Council listens to a presentation by Corey Johnson, project manager at LIVIC Civil, on the proposed housing development in the borough during a public hearing at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Phil Malitsch, land development director at Tuskes Homes, offers testimony during a public hearing on the proposed Sugar Notch housing development in Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Sugar Notch resident Mario Fiorucci addresses borough council on potential increases in property tax revenue resulting from the proposed housing development during a public hearing at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Sugar Notch resident Ralph Durland asks about stormwater management at the proposed housing development in the borough during a public hearing at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Sugar Notch councilman Henry Mleczyneski asks a question during testimony at a public hearing on the proposed housing development in the borough at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Corey Johnson, project manager at LIVIC Civil, responds to questions on the proposed Sugar Notch housing development during a public hearing at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
LIVIC Civil project manager Corey Johnson describes the design of homes in the proposed Sugar Notch housing development to members of borough council at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Sugar Notch Borough Council listens to a presentation by Corey Johnson, project manager at LIVIC Civil, on the proposed housing development in the borough during a public hearing at Warrior Run fire hall on Wednesday, April 9 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Phil Malitsch, director of the land development for Tuskes Homes, told council members their approval of preliminary plans would be “the infancy of the regulatory process.”
From the Luzerne County Conservation District to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the developer must deal with various other agencies prior to coming back to the borough for final approval, Malitsch said.
Sean Logsdon, the borough’s solicitor, said council has two months to issue a written opinion on the project.
Malitsch said Quattro Solidi hopes final approvals are granted within a year, allowing construction to start soon thereafter. The entire project could be completed in three to five years, he said.
All units would be sold and will not be rentals, he said.
The location of the planned development is between Freed Street, Broadhead Avenue, and the Hanover Twp. sports fields.
Sugar Notch’s ordinance allows for such developments to be built in phases, at least 15 percent at a time.
“From our perspective, the bigger the phase the better,” Malitsch said.
