Board of Supervisors

Robinson Township has a three-member Board of Supervisors.  The Supervisors are elected and serve a six year term on the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors set the policies for the township. The Manager executes the policies set by the Board of Supervisors.



Supervisor
Christopher Amodeo



Chair
Mary Donaldson



Vice-Chair
John Zilich

The board of Supervisors shall:

Be charged with the general governance of the township and the execution of legislative, executive and administrative powers in order to ensure sound fiscal management and to secure the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the township.

Have the responsibility for maintenance of township-owned equipment and facilities.

Employ persons as may be necessary for the general conduct of the business of the township and provide for the compensation, organization and supervision of the persons so employed. Records shall be kept and reports made and filed giving the names of all persons employed, dates on which work was done and the number of hours worked with compensation paid to each person and the capacity in which employed.

Perform duties and exercise powers as may be imposed or conferred by law or the rules and regulations of any agency of the Commonwealth. (607 amended by Act 101 of 2006)

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission board members provide guidance and advice on planning and land use issues in the development of the Township. The Planning commission members serve without compensation and are appointed to their term by the Township Supervisors.

Chairman Tony Orlandini 2022 [email protected]
Member Ken Glass 2019
Planning Secretary Bonnie Moore 2019 [email protected]
Member Robert Foley 2020
Member Quintin Jones 2021

The Planning Commission is a five-member advisory Board that meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Township Building.

For items to be considered at the Planning Commission meeting, your submission must be made at least 20 days prior to their meeting.

Zoning Hearing Board

Zoning Hearing Boards are mandated by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code. The major role of a Zoning Hearing Board is to provide a legal mechanism for considering appeals from property owners seeking variances from zoning requirements, Special Exception approvals, interpretations of the regulations and, as a way to challenge the validity of land use determinations.

For questions regarding the Zoning Hearing Board, including fees associated with filing, please contact the Township Manager, Crystal Brown, at 724-926-8700.

For questions on routine Zoning Application matters, please contact Code/Zoning Enforcement Officer Mark Dorsey at [email protected]  

Member Keith Pfender 2021 [email protected]
Secretary Mary Duranti
Chairman Robert S. Cummins 2019

Robinson Township’s Zoning Hearing Board meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. Meetings will be scheduled within 60 days of receipt of a complete application.  Please contact the Township office prior to attending a meeting…meetings only occur if there is business to be considered.

Applications

Frequently Asked Questions

The application needs to clearly state the case you are presenting, in a way that presents what you are proposing and also mentions specific sections of the zoning ordinance.  A plot plan of the lot at issue should be provided showing all buildings, lot lines and related information.  Other information pertinent to the specific application should be provided.  For instance, a home occupation request should include a floor plan; a request for a setback variance might need to provide distances from the lot line and from the neighboring structures.  While township staff may provide guidance, it is up to the applicant to present a complete application. The original applications, along with five copies, need to be submitted along with the filling fee of $600.00. The applicant is also required to provide the mailing addresses of all of the property owners within 200 feet of the exterior boundaries of the property which is the subject of the application or appeal.

A special exception is a listed permitted use that has conditions attached.  A special exception request is required to appear before the zoning hearing board to ensure the listed conditions are met.  A variance is a request to be exempt from some of the rules of the zoning ordinance due to a hardship.  The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code states five conditions that must all be met in order to be granted a variance.  A summary of those conditions are: there must be unique circumstances; no possibility the lot can be developed in conformance with the ordinance; the hardship has not been created by the applicant; the variance will not alter the character of the neighborhood; it is the minimum variance possible.

Some citizens present their own cases, while others have an attorney or engineer present their cases.

Public notice is given by running a legal ad (twice) in the legal listing section of the Washington Observer Reporter. The first publication shall not be more than 30 days and the second shall not be less than 7 days from the date of the hearing. A sign is placed in the yard of the property in question the week prior to the hearing and letters are sent to the applicant and to all property owners within 200 feet of the exterior boundaries of the property which is the subject of the application or appeal notifying them of the hearing date and time.

Applicants, or their representatives, are obligated to present the case to the Zoning Hearing Board.  If a case is not presented, the Zoning Hearing Board must either deny the request or continue the hearing. Once a presentation is completed, both the Zoning Hearing Board and the township staff are entitled to ask questions. The general public will be allowed to make comments, but not question the applicant. Occasionally, the Township Board of Commissioners may express an opinion or request that conditions be imposed for a particular case. Once testimony is completed, the Zoning Hearing Board, while it will often make a verbal determination at that time, may take up to 45 days from the conclusion of the hearing to provide a written decision.

You may appeal the decision to the Court of Common Pleas. If you wish to appeal, you must do so within 30 days of the date of the written decision.

Affected parties, such as neighbors or the township, may appeal the decision of the Zoning Hearing Board to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days after the date of the written decision.  Additionally, there often are other approvals to be obtained prior to acting upon the approval received from the Zoning Hearing Board.  For example, land development or building permits may be needed.