Springettsbury supervisors authorize flexible overlay for 98‑unit Galleria Mall apartments, vote to advertise zoning amendment

Springettsbury Township supervisors on the evening of the meeting unanimously authorized applying the township’s flexible development overlay to a 2.5‑acre parcel at the Galleria Mall for a proposed 98‑unit apartment building and voted to advertise Ordinance 2025‑06, the text amendment that would lower multifamily parking requirements and increase permitted building height in the flexible development district.

Attorney Tom Nahila of Barley Snyder, representing the applicant, said the two linked changes would (1) allow off‑street parking for multifamily in the flexible development district to be reduced from two spaces per unit to 1.5 spaces per unit and (2) increase the base permitted height from 45 feet to 55 feet with additional height tied to increased setback. "What we're asking to do is to amend the text to allow that parking ratio to go down to 1.5 spaces per unit," Nahila said during the public hearing.

Brandon Johnson of Monarch Development Group, the applicant, told supervisors the company had a comparable project, Signature Flats at Hershey, where measured parking demand averaged about 1.3 spaces per unit. "So 1.5 is even in excess of that," Johnson said, adding the Hershey property often had empty parking spaces. Engineer Jake Krieger (RGS Associates) presented the site plan for the parcel at 2899 Wakeford Road: a four‑story, 98‑unit multifamily building with 147 proposed parking spaces (matching 1.5 spaces per unit), 25% building coverage and landscaping and lighting to meet ordinance standards.

Counsel and staff emphasized that the flexible overlay is applied at the board’s discretion and is intended to facilitate redevelopment of underused property. Nahila said the parcel would be subdivided from a larger 7.5‑acre tract and that the specific 2.5‑acre portion had long been underutilized in the mall parking area. He also said both the township planning commission and the York County Planning Commission recommended the text amendment and the overlay application for approval.

Supervisors asked about the scope and implications of applying the text amendment township‑wide where the flexible overlay exists. Staff and counsel replied that, unlike a mixed‑use zone that applies automatically, the flexible overlay requires a separate authorization for each parcel and that supervisors retain discretion to approve or deny the overlay for any specific application.

A motion to authorize applying the flexible development overlay to the parcel passed unanimously by voice vote. Later in the meeting the board moved to "authorize advertisement" of Ordinance 2025‑06 — a procedural step that opens the proposed zoning text amendment for formal public notice and later consideration — and that motion also passed unanimously.

Tom Nahila and the applicant team said the design anticipates a mix of one‑ and two‑bedroom market‑rate units. The applicant stated it had obtained consent from Boscov's and that CBL (the mall ownership entity) had not indicated other residential plans for the property. Counsel and the engineer noted the project will still be subject to land‑development review, stormwater requirements and any conditions the supervisors impose if overlay authorization proceeds.

The board also handled separate business that evening, including unanimous authorization for signal easement agreements needed for future traffic signal improvements and a discussion of neighborhood traffic‑calming options, including portable radar feedback signs and temporary speed humps.

The board closed the public hearing portion with no members of the public offering comment on the text amendment. The authorization to apply the flexible overlay and the authorization to advertise the ordinance are procedural steps; final ordinance adoption and land‑development approval would require subsequent actions consistent with the published notices and the township’s review process.