Clarion, PA, November 7, 2006--The proposed Clarion Boards Inc. project to build a flooring manufacturing plant next to the fiberboard plant along River Hill won preliminary approval and a modification of setback requirements from the Clarion County Planning Commission last month, according to the Clarion News.
The plant will be one of the largest buildings presented to the planning commission in recent years: it includes just under 300,000 square feet – or a little less than seven acres, county engineer Kevin Reichard said.
The proposed flooring plant will be located just northwest of the fiberboard plant and will be connected by a covered walkway.
The proximity of the proposed plant is one reason for the request for modifications of setback rules.
The east side of the flooring plant will be 14 feet from the property line of the fiberboard plant. Planning commission chair Jack Snyder said he was concerned about fire protection and allowing enough room between the buildings for fire trucks to access the area.
Reichard said there would be plenty of room between the two buildings.
The west side of the flooring plant will be 147 feet from the western property boundary – much greater than most building setbacks, but far less than the 800-foot setback the regulations require for a building of its size, Reichard said.
Commercial and industrial buildings over 40,000 square feet must have a 40-foot setback, plus an addition three feet of setback for every 1,000 square feet of floor space.
The project also required a single lot subdivision, as Clarion Boards is leasing about 35 acres from Aconcagua Inc., owners of the fiberboard plant, for the flooring plant site.
Clarion Boards is joint venture of Aconcagua and Tarkett, an international manufacturer of laminate and other types of flooring. Aconcagua ’s medium-density fiberboard will be used to make up the body of the laminate flooring.
The subdivision, land development and setback modification (variance) were all approved without opposition; planning commission member Joe Burns abstained.
