Lower Merion officials brief Montgomery County on local sustainability work and planned senior affordable housing

Lower Merion Township officials briefed the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on the township’s sustainability program and on local affordable housing efforts, including an update on Ardmore House 2, a 48‑unit senior affordable housing project planned in Ardmore.

Paloma Vila, sustainability manager for Lower Merion Township, described the township’s sustainability program, which was informed by a greenhouse‑gas inventory and developed with county planning staff assistance. Vila said the township has integrated sustainability into its capital improvement program and listed projects including rooftop solar on township buildings, electrifying fleet vehicles, installing public electric‑vehicle charging, and a compost pilot.

Charlie Doyle, assistant director of building and planning for Lower Merion Township, briefed the commissioners on the township’s ad hoc affordable housing committee and priorities. He described Ardmore House 2 as a four‑story, 48‑unit building for seniors aged 64 and older with one‑bedroom units targeting households from roughly 20% to 60% of area median income. Doyle said the project is roughly a $20 million development that includes a total of about $5 million in county contributions (the county portion includes a prior ARPA seed and an additional county allocation), approximately $13.2 million in Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit financing from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, $1 million in township ARPA funds, and $700,000 from the township housing trust.

Doyle said construction is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2025 and that the township has reserved units for the county’s Your Way Home program. He also summarized zoning incentives and recent negotiated developer contributions that produced units for moderate and workforce housing in other local projects.

Why it matters: County leaders said Lower Merion’s zoning reforms and development in walkable nodes like Ardmore serve as a model for other municipalities seeking to expand housing supply near transit. County staff credited collaboration between the county planning commission and the township for advancing both the sustainability plan and housing projects.

Questions from commissioners covered covenant length for affordable units (Doyle said affordability covenants are recorded with the deed and run with the life of the building) and traffic impacts; Doyle said increased density brings more trips but that many residents are expected to use transit and mixed‑use development can reduce vehicle miles.