This week’s meetings »
Aug. 15
Police looking at intersection: The Lansdale Police Department will take a closer look at an intersection that has been a hot topic locally, Mayor Garry Herbert and Borough Manager John Ernst announced last week. “The intersection of Green and Vine Streets is being reviewed by the police chief, to see if there are any adjustments that can be made,” Herbert said. Residents have raised concerns in recent weeks on the “Citizens for the Revitalization of Lansdale” Facebook page about an increased frequency of accidents there. Herbert and Ernst announced during council’s Aug. 15 meeting that staff, police, and the borough’s traffic engineering firm have heard those concerns loud and clear. “We will be keeping an eye on it, and looking for any possible alternatives to how that situation, and that intersection, can be dealt with,” Ernst said.
••• Land development plans get OK: Borough council voted unanimously on Aug. 15 to approve a subdivision plan for a property on the 400 block of W. Seventh Street. The subdivision plan was vetted through council’s Code Enforcement committee on Aug. 1, and calls for the corner property to be the site of new twin duplexes, both with two units and parking to the rear. The twin duplex plans were approved by the borough’s planning commission in July, with the condition that the applicant repair any damage to Jacob Street. The approval also contains conditions that the project comply with review letters from all borough consultants, and details are included in council’s meeting materials packet for Aug. 15.
••• Time extension granted: Council also voted unanimously to update an agreement between the borough and North Penn Holdings LLC for an additional 18 months. The agreement grants the owner of the 90-acre property known as the North Penn business park an additional 18 months to submit a revised plan for the property. Plans were approved in 2006 and last updated in 2015 for the construction of 174 townhouses on that property, according to Ernst, but updated stormwater runoff regulations have been tightened since then and the developer has asked for more time to complete the plan update. “As designed right now, it is not compliant with stormwater management practices that have changed since that project was approved. So right now, that particular project cannot be built,” said Ernst. The updated agreement now runs through Feb. 19, 2020, and no changes have been made to the plans, only to the time span, according to Ernst and council President Denton Burnell.
••• Events approved: Two upcoming events were also unanimously approved by council: • The 30th annual Lansdale Festival of the Arts, to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Memorial Park, 300 E. Main St. The festival will feature dozens of local artists with a wide variety of works on display, for judging and for sale, with live music by the Walnut Street Chamber Trio from 10 a.m. to noon and Chico Huff Group from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Memorial Park will be closed from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., and in the event of poor weather the festival will be held indoors at Penndale Middle School, 400 Penn St. • The Eighth annual Lansdale Cruise Night, to be held from 5 to 10 p.m. on Sept. 15. Parts of Madison and Green Street from Vine Street to Main Street will be closed during that time, and Railroad Plaza will be used from 5 to 10:30 p.m. for staging and judging of vehicles. Codebook update approved: Council also voted unanimously on Aug. 15 to adopt an ordinance formalizing the codification of the borough codebook. The codification process has been discussed at length over the past two months, and consolidates and clarifies old laws passed over the roughly 40 years since the prior codification, while updating language and references in a fresh codebook. Borough staff have said they plan to recommend council consider a new codification on a more regular basis now that the 2018 update is complete. Councilman Leon Angelichio made the motion approving the codification ordinance, and said that motion “provide(s) for the repeal of certain legislation not included herein, to save from repeal other legislation, and to provide penalties for tampering with the code.” “Do not tamper with the code,” Burnell replied, before council voted unanimously to approve the update.