Building projects move ahead
UPPER GWYNEDD » Several longdiscussed development projects in Upper Gwynedd continue to move ahead.
Township planning and zoning officer E. Van Rieker gave an update recently on the status of several ongoing projects, including some already vetted and voted on by the board of commissioners.
“The intake of zoning and permits has been busy. The intake for new land developments, the zoning hearing matters, and conditional uses, not so much,” he said.
A request from local developer W.B. Homes to develop the “Jeppy Property” on, between 773 and 781 Sumneytown adjacent to Canterbury Drive, remains up for revisions after the developer put it on hold in September after neighbors voiced concerns about that version of the plan.
“We expect that they will come in before the zoning hearing board, but we don’t know when. I understand they’re working on a new and modified plan, that first would be shared with the neighbors,” Rieker said.
A request from automaker Tesla to install a series of eight charging stations at the Wawa fuel station at Welsh Road and Route 202 was heard by the board in late September, and the board granted their conditional use request, but the applicant has yet to follow up with a formal building permit submission as of Nov. 9.
A third project also discussed by the board in September, the “Roosevelt Court” development of nine single-family homes to be built off of State Street, is also working its way through the township approval process.
“That plan was conditionally approved, meaning that they still have to file a full land development plan, consistent with our SALDO regulations,” Rieker said, referring to the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance.
Part of those discussions focused on a request from the applicant that the board grant a variance allowing a shorter than permitted rear yard distance between a new house and existing ones, and Rieker said that’s a topic that will ultimately need a board decision.
EAC resignation, appointment get OK: The board unanimously accepted the resignation of resident Barbara McHale from the township’s environmental advisory council, and appointed resident Scott McCartney to fill that position through 2021.
McCartney is a lifelong Montgomery County resident except for schooling at Penn State, and brings nearly two decades of experience in engineering and environmental projects to that board.
Homes tea de xemp - tion staying level: While the township’s 2021 budget is still a work in progress, one key component will stay the same.
The board unanimously approved a resolution keeping the township’s homestead exemption, the amount that can be deducted from assessed property values for tax calculations, at the current level of $30,000 for next year.
Snowplowing bid awarded: The board also unanimously awarded a bid for snow plowing during the 2020-21 winter to local contractor Horgan Brothers, and heard a detailed explanation from
Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell on the costs.
“We budget reg ula r amounts for snow removal, but of course whatever Mother Nature throws our way, we will have to deal with that,” Zadell said.
The bid award included in the board’s meeting materials packet specifies an estimated cost of $7,150 for the contract, and the 2021 budget already includes a line item of $10,000 for that expense, according to the manager.
Payments, time extension for diversion project approved: The commissioners also unanimously approved a series of payments related to the township’s sewer flow diversion project. Approved alongside those payments was a request from Blooming Glen Contractors to allow their portion of the work to run through Dec. 31, which Zadell said was requested due to the construction pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic, followed by flooding from Tropical Storm Isaias in early August.
“They were unable to finish the project on time, mainly due to the flood and COVID-19, so they’re still doing work,” Zadell said.
The time extension request grants the contractor an additional 49 days to complete the work, and carries no additional cost to the township, while payment requests will still be vetted by staff and the township’s engineer.
“I wouldn’t say we’ll give them endless extensions, with no regard to our time, but this extension is reasonable. It was COVID and flooding altogether — let’s just chalk it up to 2020,” Zadell said.
Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 23; for more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.