Apartment buildings proposed across from Costco
LIMERICK » A year after developers presented a plan for developing 42 acres at Lightcap and Evergreen roads, they were back before the township supervisors with another plan — their fourth attempt.
The property is located on the south side of Lightcap Road, across from the Costco which is adjacent to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets.
The property has been the subject of much planning but very little building for more than 10 years. Called Sanatoga Springs Phase II, a 2011 plan called for 244,000 square feet of commercial space and 300 residential units.
The plan was revised in 2014 calling for 260,000 square feet of commercial space, but that project was never built either.
Last year, developers proposed building 38,000 square feet of commercial space and 273 units
of one- and two-bedroom housing units in 21 separate garden apartment buildings.
Tuesday night, the developers made one more pitch for the garden apartments, 13 buildings in all, even though it would be 59 fewer units than the alternative plan, which calls for two “mid-rise” apartment buildings with a total of 332 units. The developers are also the landlords and they do not build the project and leave, but continue to own the properties and collect rent.
They said they prefer managing the garden apartment model.
There are several small streams on the property and last year the developers told the supervisors they would have to move several of them in order to develop the property, as well as get a zoning variance.
The mid-rise apartment plan does not require a zoning variance but will have to move the streams also, although there will be “slightly” less disturbance for the two-building option.
“I’d rather have two buildings than 13,” said Supervisors Chairman Ken Sperring Jr.
Supervisor Kara Shuler was the only board member to express a preference for the garden apartment plan, saying the township is always telling developers it wants fewer children, less parking and less disturbance. “We can’t tell one developer one thing and another developer something else,” she said.
Township Manager Dan Kerr confirmed Wednesday that preliminary site plan designs for the two mid-rise apartment building options has been filed with the township.