Final approval given for 62 homes

LOWER SALFORD >> Plans by Metropolitan Development Group for 62 townhouses at Oak Drive and Harleysville Pike (Route 113) received final approval at the March 3 Lower Salford Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

“The resolution seems to cover everything, so Michele, are there any loose ends that we need to consider?” board Chairman Doug Gifford asked township engineer Michele Fountain.

“No, I don’t believe so,” Fountain replied, saying the approval resolution was “very comprehensive.”

Questions from residents and board member Kevin Shelly before the board’s unanimous approval included items such as emergency vehicle access and waivers granted.

The 62 townhouse units on 12.34 acres include 19 two-unit buildings and eight with three units.

In January, final approval was granted for Metropolitan’s plans for 48 single family homes on a Maple Avenue 43.17acre property. Almost 20 acres of the tract will be donated to the township for open space adjacent to the neighboring Alderfer Park.

Preliminary approval for the plans for both tracts was given in September of 2020.

In November of 2018, a request by MDG for rezoning and building a total of 133 homes on the two properties was turned down following heavy opposition from residents.

The initial proposal for the Oak Drive property included 88 townhouse units, Gifford said during the discussion at the March 3 meeting.

The new plans were created by residents, the developer and planning commission working together to come up with a plan that was preferable to other types of development that would have been allowed, township and development representatives have previously said.

In another matter at the meeting, Holly Hosterman, assistant to the township manager, said the Harleysville Community Center is doing everything possible to have the community pool open this summer.

“While HCC will continue to monitor the situation to make sure they can open safely and responsibly, they will be hard at work to complete protocols and safety measures for the summer. HCC will be communicating more information to you as it becomes available. HCC currently plans to have membership registration open on April 1, 2021,” the township said in its electronic newsletter for March. “Even though the summer may not look exactly the same as it has in the past, the group at HCC looks forward to welcoming you back to the pool in the safest manner possible!”

Last year, the pool was closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hosterman said there will be a fishing derby in Bergey Mill Park in April.

“And as always, we will be stocking the ponds again in late March, early April with trout,” she said.