Concord weighs proposal for 254 new townhouses
CONCORD » Council began the first night of hearings Tuesday regarding a conditional use application from Pulte Homes to construct a 254-unit townhouse community on Route 202 near Glen Eagle Square.
The 22.5-acre tract, the former Spring Lake Recreation Center surrounded by Smithbridge Estates, the Lantern at Glen Mills apartment complex and McKenzie Brew Pub, was approved in 2008 for construction of a 164,240-square foot shopping center. The property is owned by Pettinaro Construction Co., the company behind the Shops at Ridge Road, and Pulte is the equitable owner.
Approximately 18.4 acres of the parcel are zoned C-2 commercial; the balance, residential. The application applies to the former, as single family attached homes are permitted in the district by conditional use. The plan showed three single homes on the remaining parcel, although they are not part of the townhouse application.
The proposal complies with the township ordinance, as it includes frontage on a major highway, a signalized intersection on that highway and three interior public roads to be dedicated to the township, said attorney John Jaros. The main access would end in a cul-de-sac serving the three single homes and the two additional streets would frame the townhouses. The development would be served by a secondary right-turn in, rightturn out access and private roads.
Jaros compared the plan to the similarly-zoned former Pulsations site, 240 Baltimore Pike, where Benson Companies constructed 56 townhouses. The 5.1-acre lot is bounded by Dougherty Boulevard, the ingress/ egress to Fox Valley, and the driveway serving Windsor at Glen Mills and Glen Mills Senior Living.
The homes would be constructed in 23 groupings with a maximum of six attached buildings, each containing two stacked townhouses, with owners opting for a first and second or second and third floor unit. The selling price would be approximately $300,000$400,000, said Pulte representative Robert Holmes.
The development would have a common green area and extensive landscaping, said engineer Matt Houtmann. He added the proposal complies with or exceeds township requirements for setbacks and impervious coverage.
“It provides an orderly transition from the high density of the apartments to the low density of the single family homes,” he added. “It is consistent with the township comprehensive plan and other townhouse communities in the general area.”
Approximately 30 residents attended the hearing, some raising concerns about traffic, impact on local neighborhoods and effect on the Garnet Valley School District. Council President Dominic Pileggi noted the existing streets surrounding the Pulsations development also serve the adjacent communities, while those on the Spring Lake tract would be used only by its residents.
“Those roads provide more of a community benefit,” he added. “You would be offering roads for dedication that only benefit your development.”
Jaros opened the hearing noting Pulte had submitted a second application for the site involving 128 townhouses and four individual homes, but would be putting the plan on indefinite hold. Should the proposal under consideration not be approved, his client would proceed with the other plan.
The next night of testimony is scheduled for 7 p.m., May 22.