More work needed on residential plan for Don Guanella site
MARPLE » No action was taken by the Marple Planning Commission at its Thursday night meeting on preliminary residential plans submitted by Sproul Road Developers LLC for the former Don Guanella Village along Reed Road and Sproul Road.
Commissioners asked for project developers, led by Carlino Commercial Development Principal Peter Miller, to redesign and submit plans that accommodate review letter comments provided by township Engineer Joseph Mastronado and the Delaware County Planning Commission. Sproul Road Developers is planning 232 single and twin housing units on approximately 140 acres of residential-zoned portions of the land.
“We would just look forward to receiving a plan that complies with the township ordinances and we’ll give it a full review and recommendations will be appropriate at that time,” said Commission Chairman Patrick Henigan.
Miller and his civil engineer, Chirag Thakkar, gave a brief overview of the plan to the commissioners and public that totaled approximately 10 minutes in length. They said the property is constrained by natural features (streams, slopes, riparian buffers), but the plan is still in compliance with zoning regulations.
“We acknowledge that we have revisions to make as a result of the township’s engineer letter, which is often the case for a project of this size, of any size,” said Thakkar. “We intend to revise the plans fully in compliance with the engineer’s letter.”
Mastronado and the county planning commission issued separate eight-page review letters on Aug. 8 and July 19, respectively, that gave feedback on areas of stormwater management, access and density. The residential plan would preserve almost 76 acres of open space which is more than the minimally required 67 as called for by code.
The residential plan, which would be called Residences of Marple Preserve if fully adopted, is an alternate to the 47acre mixed-use proposal that planned for the immediate footprint of the Don Guanella site in the institutional-zoned front portion of the property. Miller has maintained that that plan is his primary focus as it would retain 166 acres of open space on that property.
At an Aug. 13 meeting in presenting an overview of the mixed-use plan, planner Tim Cassidy said the open space in the residential plan could be subjected to use by those residents only and not for public access as it (un)officially has been for some time (the Archdiocese of Philadelphia currently owns the land making it private property, but people have been hiking on its trail for decades).
Public comment shrunk from over two hours at the Aug. 13 meeting to 40 minutes on Thursday by 17 persons who wished to make statements, most of whom identified environmental and flooding concerns, and traffic.
A number of residents outright rejected the plan, the range of descriptions for it going from “Armageddon” to “by-wrong.” But still, a couple did prefer homes being built over commercial development.
Of the commissioners, only Mike Noonan had questions on the plan asking about how much open space would be preserved in the plan and emergency access to the development. At present, one access point was created on Reed Road and another yet-tobe-determined access point may come from the forward institutional zone at the front of the property from Sproul Road.
Miller said the plans will be adjusted and resubmitted, but that the mixed-use plan is still his preference.