Planning commission unanimously forwards Montgomery Avenue (5B) recommendations to council, including parking relief and affordable‑housing bonus

The Narberth Planning Commission voted unanimously to forward policy recommendations for the Montgomery Avenue (5B) zone to borough council, focusing on building massing, ground‑floor uses, parking flexibility and an affordable‑housing density bonus. Chair Adam Crom summarized the package, citing the pending sketch plan for the former Rite Aid site: "We have an apartment building plan with, I think, 46 units, and there are a number of elements that don't comply with zoning," Crom said, explaining the commission’s recommendations to make certain development paths feasible while protecting active commercial frontage.

Key recommendations sent to council include: - Allow residential units on the ground floor where those units are set behind a minimum commercial frontage facing Montgomery Avenue and other primary streets (commercial frontage still required on the facade facing the avenue). - Retain the 45‑foot base height but permit four full floors (the code currently lists 3 floors for 5B). A fifth story could be permitted as a density bonus only if set back a minimum of 10 feet from front and rear facades. - Tie the density bonus to affordability and green standards: a 10% minimum of units (round up) must be income‑restricted to households earning no more than 80% of the area median income (AMI); rent and utilities for those units must not exceed 30% of qualifying household income. The bonus also requires meeting the draft green‑building standard (no gas hookups except for restaurant kitchens). - Adjust parking rules to allow shared parking across parcels within a walkable distance, consider reducing the per‑unit parking minimum from 1.0 to 0.7 if the building enrolls in a SEPTA residential pass program, and remove the separate visitor‑parking requirement.

Commissioner Todd Bressy made the motion to forward the recommendations; the motion was seconded and passed by unanimous voice vote. "So it's the sense of the commission [that] unanimous on the 5B zoning concept," Chair Crom said after the vote. Commissioners noted neighbor concerns previously raised about light, noise and visual impacts and asked staff to include signage and screening considerations in recommendations to council. The commission directed staff to work with the solicitor on codifying recommended policy language if council indicates support.