Lansdale now talking trail, easement

Cost of property needed for easement still being assessed

A development approved in Upper Gwynedd will now need a new set of approvals from Lansdale’s borough council.

LANSDALE >> A development just approved in Upper Gwynedd will now need a new set of approvals from Lansdale’s borough council.

Council is now considering two motions related to the development termed “Gwynedd Ridge” on a property known as the Martin Tract on Allentown Road.

“That project will butt up against Green Street and Whites Road Park, which is why they approached us,” said Borough Manager John Ernst.

Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners have discussed since 2016 the project, which will see the construction of 27 single family houses along a new private roadway which will intersect with Allentown Road at the existing Oxford Circle intersection. In April, Upper Gwynedd’s board granted several waiver requests and preliminary approval, and final land development approval was subsequently granted on Sept. 24.

With that now approved, Ernst told council’s administration and finance committee Oct. 3, developer Pulte Homes has been in contact with Lansdale about two aspects of the project that will touch on the borough.

“This development cannot provide the impact fee for recreational use to Upper Gwynedd Township, because they can’t fit the required acreage on this piece of land for open space,” Ernst said.

“So, they have decided to collect a fee from each individual homeowner, and pass it on to the borough of Lansdale, in exchange for a connection from their neighborhood into Whites Road Park,” he said.

The approved plans call for a trail to be built on the northwest end of the property, linking the sidewalks along the private road in the development to the park, which technically sits in Upper Gwynedd but is owned and maintained by Lansdale.

“These residents of Upper Gwynedd Township will now have access to our park, which is the same as all other residents in Upper Gwynedd have, and can walk down Green Street and enter the park by the tennis courts,” Ernst said.

The trail is estimated to be roughly 260 feet long, and the exact route could change slightly based on trees and other features found on the property but not yet on the plans, according to the manager.

“We are providing a topnotch community park for these residents to take advantage of: our concerts, playgrounds, swimming pool,” he said.

In addition to the trail connection, a second topic has come up in talks between the two: the developer is planning to build a swale to help with drainage along the eastern property line, and has to cross property owned by Lansdale to do so.

“This particular easement, right along the property line, is public property. And as the borough, we cannot give away public property for nothing,” Ernst said.

The developer is currently having an appraisal done on the piece of property needed to construct the swale, and once that number comes in, a formal agreement can be finalized, Ernst said. A similar sale of a small piece of property took place in 2014, when council sold a strip of sidewalk on Wood Street to

the adjacent Round Guys Brewing Company for the brewer to set up outdoor seating.

The developer will install the trail and ensure that it meets all borough standards and requirements, and then maintenance will be up to the borough on public property, and up to the homeowners association of the development on that side of the property line.

“The homeowners association will also be responsible for maintaining the drainage easement: making sure it’s free and clear of debris, nothing’s planted to cause any conflict in the future,” Ernst said.

Total dollars won’t be known until the property assessment is finished, he told the committee, but early estimates are that the borough could receive $40,000 to $50,000 for the trail connection, and an additional $2,000 or so for the property, he said.

Committee member Denton Burnell said he was uncomfortable recommending any action from the committee to full council until those numbers are known, and committee chairman Leon Angelichio agreed.

“The devil’s in the details,” Angelichio said.

Borough council next meets at 7 pm. on Oct. 17 at the borough municipal building, 1 Vine St. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org or follow @Lansdalepa on Twitter.