Narberth planning commission weighs transit‑oriented development overlay and future of Elmwood church site

The Northern Planning Commission discussed adopting a transit‑oriented development (TOD) overlay for parts of Narberth — especially the block south of the train tracks that includes the vacant Elmwood church parcel — to make apartment construction more feasible and to encourage smaller, more attainable units near downtown.

The commission’s chair, Adam Kron, said the borough council asked the planning commission to “provide thoughts and recommendations” on whether zoning changes, relaxed setbacks and parking requirements, or incentives could support housing “that would be more attainable” and also help downtown businesses by creating more walkable customers.

The commission framed the discussion around three themes: (1) where a TOD overlay would make sense geographically, (2) which zoning rules (setbacks, height limits, parking and lot‑size minimums) now prevent multifamily development, and (3) what incentives or public financing might be necessary to deliver true affordable units rather than only market‑rate apartments.

Commissioners and county staff reviewed the Elmwood site as a case study. Kron and county planners said a developer likely needs roughly 30 units for a small new‑construction apartment project to become commercially viable on that lot. Under current Narberth zoning, apartment buildings are conditional uses in many zones and face constraints that make such projects…