Whitney Gastmeyer, South Park Township Supervisor

Hey all! If you attended the last Board of Supervisors meeting or watched the livestream, you might recall my proposal for a second monthly public meeting, a space to hash things out before the formal votes happen, similarly to what’s practiced in other municipalities.

I really think this is necessary and important, and I promise I will keep working on it!
And while the rest of the Board isn't against the idea, the logistics for a "new" thing in South Park can take time.

So in the interim, and as not to wait until our next regular meeting to discuss, I wanted to hold something that allowed residents to bring up things that are on their mind.

This will give everyone a space to get to know each other and talk without it feeling super high stakes.

I enjoy a good pivot, so that’s what I’m doing, and here is the plan!

📌I will be hosting a Roundtable Discussion on Thursday, February 26 at 7 pm at the Community Center.

Think of it as an informal "Town Hall" style meeting where we can actually talk with you.

We can act as a bridge, getting your thoughts on the record and sharing our own individual opinions in an informal, relaxed atmosphere.

Little bit of fine print here 👇

📌No Quorum : Since it’s just the two of us, we aren’t the "Full Board."
We can’t take official action, speak for the Township, or promise how a future vote will go.

📌Boundaries : We can’t discuss legal issues or personnel matters, and we ask that you don’t use the time to attack anyone, whether it be a specific neighbor or someone at the Township.

📌Goal : To shed light on your questions and concerns, and find answers together, in a space that feels a little less scary. And what we don’t know, we can find out!

📌Disclaimer: We might look like total bumbling buffoons while we figure it out haha, but I’m okay with that as long as we’re trying something new for the community. We are humans and this, and us, are a work in progress!

We’re going to try to livestream this and I don’t see why we can’t take online comments. If you’d like to be anonymous, I’m sure that can be worked out.

This will come off a little "budget" at first, but that’s kind of the point, and we’ll make it work.
If I really get it together, I might even have some coffee or candy!

At the very least, this is a chance to fellowship with your neighbors, which is one of my favorite things. I am also no stranger to uncertainty and I do like a little chaos. So I for one am very excited about what could come of this!

Please like and share this! We would love to see you there!

I wanted to hop on here before the swearing in today and apologize for not posting between the election and now.
There was a fuzzy grey area in there where I wasn’t sure what I could and couldn’t say.

I finally got clarification, so I have more peace of mind about being able to still be myself and speak somewhat freely without running the risk of getting “in trouble.”

I can’t interact exactly the way I’d like to but I’m able to read and get it to the table on the public record.

I also want to apologize for not going back and individually thanking everyone who responded warmly and offered congratulations.
That is not like me.

And I know what it feels like to see someone campaigning all over the place and then they disappear and it’s weird, like where did they go? I hate that.

So I really didn’t like being on this side of it and not feeling like I was able to talk.

What I want to say now though, is that it has been weighing increasingly more heavily on me, just the tremendous responsibility that lies before us.
I am taking this very seriously.

I’m still on the same page and I have not lost my place.
I personally haven’t forgotten conversations, comments on fb groups, concerns at meetings, and I have not forgotten your words, or my own.

I’m very eager to get started carrying your voice, and making some positive changes for the good of the community.

I also wanted to say that I voted for transparency, forthrightness, and swift change, among other things.
And as a voter, I will be p i double scribbled if I don’t see that.

I am eager to work alongside my fellow supervisor-elects to follow through on what we campaigned on.

And I have hope, in conjunction with the entire board, that we will take every opportunity to make your lives easier, help you feel heard and supported, and never leave you guessing about where our heads are at or where you stand.

If that is your hope too, please stay tuned in. Keep showing up, keep asking questions, keep paying attention.

And in that spirit, I’m attaching our responses from the Park News this past fall, to serve as a reminder of what we said we were about.
(You might have to click into each photo to read the whole thing)
Save these!
Hold us accountable!

Give us a wee bit o grace while we are learning and fumbling around, sure.
But also ask yourself, and then us, really, how hard is it to change something?
To change anything?

If it seems like we’re maintaining the status quo, call us out!

I invite you to tune in at 6 to see us get sworn in. And if you miss that, please tune it at 7 for the meeting.

(The meeting will be live-streamed from a public YouTube page not affiliated with the Township, until the Township establishes its own, hopefully very soon.)

What is it you’re looking for?
And when do you want it?
Share that here.
And continue to at public meetings.

https://youtube.com/?si=AO9A91FCwnwBAP_a

Edited to add: the meeting was unable to be live-streamed from youtube at that time. Here is the link to where it was live-streamed, however privacy restrictions might prevent you from viewing until you are a member of the group.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AJ3MbPSGz/?

(Oh, and here are the prompts for these answers :

1. How would you approach future development projects - like the current Sleepy Hollow project - balancing private property rights with community concerns about green space, traffic, and transparency - especially when zoning/development requirements are met but public sentiment is divided or even opposed to the project?

2. What specific actions would you take to strengthen public safety in South Park - particularly in supporting our volunteer fire departments, enhancing the police department, and ensuring strong coverage for EMS services?

3. Looking ahead, what do you see as the most pressing issue South Park Township will face in the next 3–5 years, and how would you address it?)

Sleepy Hollow Planning Commission 11/25 Meeting Update! Here’s just about everything you need to know.

Here’s :
1. The Kdka news article
2. Our analysis of what actually happened and what it means.
3. An executive summary of the issues and points I made at the meeting last night in my public comments regarding the inefficiency and key missing items in the Sleepy Hollow final plan as submitted for review by the developer.

1. From KDKA:

South Park Township planning commission votes against controversial Sleepy Hollow housing development

By Mike Darnay
November 26, 2025 / 1:02 AM EST / CBS Pittsburgh

Controversial plans for a housing development in South Park Township have been voted down -- at least for now.
The township's planning commission voted 5 to 1 against recommending the proposed Majestic Woods development to the board of supervisors.

Tuesday night's standing-room only meeting lasted several hours with the project's developer taking questions from the board about what has transpired in the planning process since preliminary approval was granted last year.

"Since that time, we've been kind of working through discussions with the conservation district, working with our engineers in regard to final plans, and discussions in regard to submittals that we've done with South Park." said Mike Wetzel of Victor-Wetzel Associates, who was speaking on behalf of the developer.

South Park's planning commission has voted to not recommend the controversial Majestic Woods housing development project to the township's board of supervisors.

The proposed development calls for 108 single-family homes along Sleepy Hollow Road, right near the South Park Game Preserve.

South Park resident Tim Foster spoke during a public comment period of Tuesday night's meeting, addressing issues including the status of the developer's preliminary approval, the developers' plans not meeting compliance review requirements, and outstanding contingencies from the preliminary approval.

"All four of these issues lead to one unavoidable conclusion," Foster said. "This application cannot legally move forward tonight."

South Park's Sleepy Hollow is known for its 60 acres that are mostly wooded and used for walking, hiking and housing bison.

People who live in the area raised concerns about the impact on the bison that live there.

Neighbors have had problems with the idea for more than two years, going back to when a different developer walked away from a separate proposal on the same land.

Last spring, the board of supervisors gave preliminary approval to a controversial housing
development, voting against the recommendation of their own planning commission. At the time, township supervisors attached a number of requirements for the developer before the project could move forward.

The board of supervisors are now set to meet and discuss the project at their next meeting at 7 p.m. on December 8.

2. Our analysis of the Planning Commission Meeting on 11/25/25

What Last Night’s Planning Commission Vote Really Means

A lot of people have been asking what actually happened at the Planning Commission meeting, so here’s a clear breakdown.

The Planning Commission essentially has two questions they must answer before giving any advice to the Board of Supervisors:

🔹 Question 1:

Is the final plan for the proposed Sleepy Hollow development complete as filed?
Meaning — does it meet all the requirements in South Park Township’s Land Development Ordinances (SALDO)?

If the answer is NO, the process stops right there.
The plan is tabled and brought back at a future meeting after the developer fixes the missing items.

🔹 Question 2:

The Commission only gets to this question if the answer to Question 1 is YES — meaning the plan is fully complete and meets every required ordinance.

If — and only if — the plan is complete, the Planning Commission then votes on whether to:
• Recommend the development to the Board of Supervisors, or
• Not recommend it.

Why last night’s vote is so troubling

In our opinion, and based on the evidence and documentation presented, the final plan is not complete.
Not even close.

There are major required items missing, deferred, or unfinished under SALDO.
So the proper vote on Question 1 should have been:
👉 NO — the plan is not complete.

That would have pushed the issue to the next Planning Commission meeting, giving time for the developer to meet the legal requirements.

Instead… an executive session changed everything

After a nearly 30-minute closed-door executive session — which many of us found questionable — the township solicitor, Irving Firman, advised the Commission that their hands were essentially tied.

We were told that if the township’s own hired professionals —
• Carolyn Yagle (Planning Consultant, Environmental Planning & Design), and
• Dan Deiseroth (Township Engineer, Gateway Engineers)

state that the plan is “complete,” then the Commission must accept that, regardless of the public evidence showing dozens of deficiencies.

If that’s truly the rule, then what was the point of nearly four hours of public testimony?
Why allow residents to speak at all if the outcome is predetermined?

What it looks like — in plain terms

In our opinion, it’s clear the plan was being pushed through no matter what was presented.
And it appears very likely the goal is to get final approval from the Board of Supervisors in December — the last meeting before the newly elected Board, chosen by residents demanding transparency and integrity, is sworn in this January.

What’s next

This isn’t over.

We fully believe the fight will continue — legally, procedurally, and publicly — until every remedy is exhausted and every requirement is enforced.

Stay tuned.
Stay engaged.
Our community deserves better.

3. Executive Summary of the Issues that I addressed during the meeting.

SLEEPY HOLLOW DEVELOPMENT — COMMUNITY ALERT

Why the Planning Commission Cannot Legally Approve This Final Plan

South Park residents, here’s what you need to know —

After months of reviewing documents, ordinances, communications, and legal precedent, it is clear that the Sleepy Hollow final application is NOT legally eligible for approval.

Here’s why:

1️⃣ Preliminary Approval Automatically Expired — Developer Never Met the 30-Day Requirement

Township Code 118-13(E) requires the developer to accept the conditions in writing within 30 days of preliminary approval.

That never happened.

There was no communication for a full year, and no acceptance letter exists.

➡️ By law, preliminary approval was automatically rescinded.
➡️ No preliminary approval = no valid final application.

2️⃣ Mandatory Final Review Step Never Happened

Township Code 118-16 requires all final plans to be sent to the Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) for review.

On 11/21/25, the ACCD confirmed in writing:

• They never received the developer’s final plan.
• They never conducted the required 30-day review.

➡️ Without this step, the application is not complete and cannot legally move forward.

3️⃣ More Than 50 Required Final Items Are Missing

Township Code 118-15 lists what MUST be included in a final submission:

• construction plans
• certificates
• notifications
• reports
• development details

Gateway’s 11/21/25 letter confirms it:

➡️ The final application is NOT complete under SALDO.

4️⃣ Pennsylvania Case Law: A Final Plan Cannot Be Approved With Unmet Preliminary Conditions

The Board of Supervisors attached 9 contingencies to preliminary approval — including:

“The developer must obtain an NPDES permit.”
Not “apply.”
Not “intend.”
Obtain.

The developer still has not done this.

In Lyons Borough v. Maxatawny Township (2015), the Commonwealth Court ruled:

➡️ Final approval is illegal if preliminary conditions remain unmet.
➡️ Approving a final plan anyway is “premature and improper.”

This is binding case law in Pennsylvania.

BOTTOM LINE: THIS PLAN CANNOT LEGALLY BE APPROVED.

• Preliminary approval expired.
• Required agency review is missing.
• Over 50 final items are incomplete.
• Mandatory preliminary conditions are unmet.
• Commonwealth Court precedent forbids approval.

Once again, we have multiple conclusive reasons why this matter is premature, incomplete, and not eligible for consideration by the Planning Commission.

Under both Township ordinances and Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court precedent, the Planning Commission must find that this final application is not proper, not complete, and cannot legally advance.

Thank you.

- Timothy Foster

It’s extremely important that we come together as a community and show that we oppose this.
The Planning Commission listens to us and thoughtfully makes recommendations to the BOS.
And it’s crucial that we have every possible issue on record.
You could be the person who makes a comment in such a way that it drives a point home for them.
Please don’t be shy! We need you!
🙏
(I thought I’d already shared this here but I didn’t.
If you haven’t heard, now you know!)

🌲 SLEEPY HOLLOW — URGENT COMMUNITY ALERT 🚨
Friends, we truly need you there.

Planning Commission Meeting — Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 at 7:00 PM
📍 South Park Township Administration Building — 2675 Brownsville Road

South Park friends — this is one of those moments when our community needs to stand together.

The Planning Commission will be considering FINAL APPROVAL of the 108-unit Majestic Woods subdivision on Sleepy Hollow Road — one of the biggest, most far-reaching decisions our township has faced. It could change the history of horses in our South Park Township forever! They’ll also decide whether the application is even complete.

If you live anywhere in South Park, this touches your life: traffic, taxes, safety, flooding, emergency access, our schools, our environment — everything we care about.

🚨 WHY THIS MEETING MATTERS SO MUCH

This could be the night the Planning Commission takes action.
And as we’ve seen time and time again, a full room changes outcomes.

They don’t just need to hear our voices —
They need to see us.

This one meeting could shape Sleepy Hollow and the surrounding community for forever!

⚠️ Major Unanswered Concerns Still on the Table

• 🚧 Roads far too narrow, and an old culvert/bridge with no PennDOT inspection report
• 🏫 Confirmed school bus and fire truck access problems
• ⛏️ Expansive soils, acid-producing rock, and unmapped mining risks
• 💧 Unresolved stormwater and groundwater threats to Sleepy Hollow Run
• 🏠 Flooding and structural risks to nearby homes
• 📄 Required submissions still missing — including the ACCD review
• ❗ Evidence the developer withheld key safety information

These are not technicalities.
These are real risks to the people, homes, and natural spaces we love.

🙏 Please show up. Bring neighbors. Bring friends.

Your presence absolutely matters.
A packed room sends a message:
South Park is watching, and we will not be pushed aside.

⸻

📅 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25th
🕖 7:00 p.m.
📍 Administration Building — Board Room

⸻

This is Sleepy Hollow.
This is our township.
This is our community.

Let’s show up — together — and protect it.

💙🦬❤️🐴🐎🌲

Guys, thank you so much!
I’m truly taken aback! 🤗🤗🤗

I want to thank everyone who voted, spread the word, and showed up right on time to offer support.

I want to thank my family, friends, and neighbors for backing me, especially my son Jackson, who was out there literally all day greeting at the polls.

I want to thank Marty, for running a clean campaign, and being the kind of person you’d rather run with than run against. And Rich for being friendly.

I want to congratulate Deb and Sharon on their wins.
It’s been 40 some years since South Park has had a woman on the Board of Supervisors, and now there will be three of us serving together.

And it’s the first time, possibly since the beginnings of this Township, that we’ve had 3 supervisors elected at the same time.

This is a unique opportunity to do some real good together, and with you, so I’m pumped!

I want to express my gratitude to Tim, Diane, and their kids for revealing the weak spots in our local government, and I applaud their dedication to finding solutions to our common problems.

Their campaign efforts were unmatched, period. And the attacks this past week against me and especially Tim were incredibly disheartening, and unlike anything we’ve ever seen in South Park.

I know that is not the kind of stuff we’re made of. And I hope you will join me in being even more inspired to breathe new, positive, unified energy into this community together.

I’m humbled to serve you.
Thank you again.
❤️

Happy voting everyone!
Polls close at 8.
And I’m paraphrasing here, but remember: no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness from which it was created.
🤗

🌟 Reminder, this is a non-partisan position serving the Township as a whole.

The candidates that get elected swear an oath to serve all residents, impartially.

🌟 Supervisor candidates can not cross file, like school board candidates or judges, for example.

And that’s not our choice, that comes from the State’s Election Code.

A partisan narrative is out of place here.

🌟 Once whoever is sworn in, their oath is supposed to be to YOU and YOUR family, not one party or group.

They’re here to protect your safety, our shared infrastructure, green space, budget, chance at small businesses, and our collective community.

🌟 We need openness, integrity, accountability, and a whole lot less confusion and negativity.

And I have faith that if we elect people who share our scruples and values, we can turn things around to reflect the true spirit of the people that live here.

🌟 The election is tomorrow.
This is what your ballot will look like.
You can still return your mail in ballots today and tomorrow.
I’ll post those hours and locations in the comments.

Good luck, take heart, and get out there and vote.

🌟 And if you’re the praying kind, pray for peace, kindness, and civility amongst all of us, from now until the results come in, and after. And for steadfastness in finding a path together forward, in unity, as good neighbors to each other.

Happy Halloween! And happy voting!

Photo courtesy of Dave and Mary Amoroso of Horses Unlimited Stables!

They were so kind to put one of my signs in front of their farm and have a little photo sesh with their gorgeous ponies!

What absolute beauties right?! And what a sweet and generous gesture!

It’s people like Dave and Mary, Bonnie and Mark, Jim, and Julie who really pulled at my heartstrings when I learned of all of the Sleepy Hollow plans. It was gut wrenching to hear just how devastating any development would be, not just for their homes, but for their farms, their livelihoods, and their beautiful horses.

So I feel very fortunate knowing that Dave and Mary support me, because, as he said, he believes that I will do good things for South Park Township.

I truly hope to get the opportunity to prove them right, and help people feel safe and at peace in their homes and in this community. It would be an honor to help them get to enjoy their life’s work, and their little slice of heaven without wondering what will happen next.