Radnor planners recommend approval for Penn Medicine plan

RADNOR » All five members of the Radnor Planning Commission present at the April 11 meeting voted to recommend approval for the final Penn Medicine plan for the 145 King of Prussia Road property.

The 19-acre property that was formerly Wyeth Laboratories has been vacant for several years and the community had fought plans from a previous owner, BioMed Realty Trust, over concerns about increased traffic. Penn Medicine bought the property for $35 million in 2015.

Indeed, planning Chairwoman Kathy Bogosian was astonished that no members of the public came to the meeting.

“Well this is a surprise,” she said.

The plans call for two parking garages at the rear toward I-476 (the Blue Route), an ambulatory care center to the south and an office building and a hotel on the northern side of the property, which is across from Radnor High School. Another developer will build the hotel, second garage.

Representatives on Penn Medicine were on hand to answer questions but had agreed to comply with nearly all of the township’s requests. The one waiver they sought was to plant trees that are not on the township’s approved list. However, those trees –London plane, white oak and American elm – are expected to be added to a list on recommendation of the Shade Tree Commission at an upcoming Board of Commissioners meeting.

Planning Commissioner office and the Matt Golas, the liaison from the commission to Shade Tree, said the Shade Tree members are keen on those species. Later, by phone, Golas said, the current list of approved shade trees is 12 years old and includes trees, like the ash, which are no longer recommended. Ash trees are being removed because of an invasive insect, the emerald ash tree borer.

“London plane is the toughest tree on the planet,” said Golas. “It’s a great tree for our climate. White oak is a magnificent tree.” And the Princeton American elm was bred to be resistant to Dutch elm disease, which killed most of the elm trees across the U.S.

Golas said the Shade Tree Commission would also like to be able to change the approved tree list without going before the BOC in the future.

Penn Medicine’s landscaping plan goes “way beyond what’s normal,” said Golas.

Mike Kissinger, an engineer for Penn Medicine, said they have approval for sanitary sewer capacity from the township and the Radnor Haverford Marple Sewer Authority for hook-up. They are seeking approval from Springfield Township and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“It’s still in progress but moving along well, actually,” said Kissinger.

Township Engineer Steve Norcini said there is a net decrease in sewer flow in the plans shown compared to the previous applicant.

Kissinger said the parking spaces will be redrawn to be 9-by-19 feet rather than the 9-by-18 feet that had been shown. They have many more parking spaces than required by the zoning code, he said.

Commissioners Vice Chairman Skip Kunda, who represents the commission on the Environmental Advisory Commission, asked whether Penn plans electronic charges stations in the parking garage. Kissinger was uncertain. “On behalf of the EAC, I recommend that you consider it,” said Kunda.

“We’ll take it under Kissinger said.

Penn has agreed to various advisement,” traffic improvements in that area, including a new traffic signal at Raider Road, with is at a shared entrance with the high school.The plan will next come before the Board of Commissioners, which approved the preliminary Penn Medicine plan in February.

Later, via email, Kevin Mahoney, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Penn Medicine said, “We are very happy to have received the unanimous recommendation of the planning commission for approval of our final plan submission and are ready to transition from the planning phase to the construction phase. As a longstanding member of the Radnor community, Penn Medicine is proud to be bringing a new world-class facility to Radnor Township.”

“We are grateful to the planning commission and to the township staff and consultants for their thoughtful review of the Final Plan and we look forward to presenting the plan to the Board of Commissioners at an upcoming meeting,” he added.