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TOWNSHIP HAPPENINGS:

Matters Before the Township as of December 12, 2011

 


Three Important Items Are on the Agenda for December:

  1. City Avenue Rezoning.  2.  M District Settlement with O’Neill Properties.  3. Budget

 

December 14: 6:00 p.m.†  BOC Public Hearing on City Avenue Rezoning.  The three new zoning ordinances for the City Avenue area will be enacted.

                            8:00 p.m.  Settlement of litigation with O’Neill for 600 Righters Ferry Road development will be approved.  (Legal Affairs Committee)

                                                      Highlights:  Project is for a series of six-story buildings containing 580 apartments, 65% of which will be one-bedroom one-bath, with 739 parking spaces and 44 additional spaces held in reserve.  This is permitted because the property is within 1500 feet of the Wissahickon Transportation Center, accessible across the Schuylkill River by the Pencoyd Bridge.  A pedestrian walkway will be added to the Bridge, which will also be usable by automobile traffic, one-way, to and from the Philadelphia side.  A trailhead for the recreational trail will be established with 8 parking spaces and a “public gathering space” with benches.  O’Neill has agreed to put a traffic light at the intersection of Monument and Righters Ferry Roads if it would qualify under PennDOT standards; to restripe that intersection; to arrange for a green arrow for left turns on to Righters Ferry Rd from Belmont Ave; and to provide signal phase retiming for traffic lights at Monument and Presidential.  Hardiboard exterior will be permitted; architecture is typical O’Neill apartment complex.  You can see the settlement agreement at http://lowermerion.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6140 and architect’s renderings at http://lowermerion.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6139.

                                    8:30 p.m.  Building and Planning Committee: 

  • Conditional use approval to operate a winery in the carriage house at 1835 Old Gulph Road, Villanova.
  • Waive land development plan 225-square-foot addition to BMW dealership at 210-216 Bala Ave for an enclosed car wash for the dealership.
  • Referred from Historical Commission:  Changes to façade at 235 Glenn Road, Ardmore.
  • Referred from HARB:  new awning for 8 Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore (Above and Beyond).
  • Add barn (not house) at 362 Sprague Rd, Penn Valley, as Class 2 historic resource.
  • Lease renewal for cell tower in Gladwyne Park for three 5-year terms.
  • Discuss fee schedule for HARB/Historical Commission applications (Bob Duncan has come up with a sliding scale, maximum of $300 fee per application).
  • Appoint Tom Dilsheimer  (builder/developer) to Environmental Advisory Council in place of Barry Jeffries.
  • Bob Gray’ second and final term on Planning Commission ends February 2012.
  • Same “below the line” items as noted previously, including some that have been pending for a year.

December 15, 4:00 p.m.  Historical Commission:  (a) Fireplace, chimney, roof, windows alteration at 1808 W. Montgomery Ave., Villanova; (b) new windows at 37 Rosemont Ave., Bryn Mawr.  Will be referred to BOC Building and Planning Committee in January.

December 15, 7:00 p.m.  Planning Commission:  special meeting on the comprehensive plan.  Chris Leswing will purport to summarize community input from this year’s workshops, present a list of “Community Goals and Objectives,” (see http://lowermerion.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6109), and provide an update on the application process for those who wish to serve on the comprehensive plan committees in 2012.

 

December 21, 7:55 p.m.  Finance Committee of the BOC.  Discussion of what to do with the “unexpected” extra $6.9 million from settling a business privilege tax claim, and recommend adoption of the 2012 Budget and CIP. 

Followed by adoption of the Budget and CIP by the BOC. Last BOC meeting of 2011.

 

January 3, 2012, 7:00 p.m.  Board of Commissioners ceremonial reorganization meeting. Don’t expect any significant changes.

 

January 10, 2012, 7:00 p.m.  (Tentative):  Special Planning Commission meeting, presumably to act on applications to serve on the comprehensive plan committees.

† Times are “approximate” – that is to say, rough guesses.