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Zoning board approves Hancock Elementary modular expansion, grants variances for impervious cover and floodplain work
Summary
The Norristown Zoning Hearing Board on May 6 approved the Norristown Area School District’s request to add a modular classroom addition at Hancock Elementary, granting variances to increase impervious coverage and to permit flood‑plain‑related construction after engineers said the building elevation will sit about nine feet above the studied 100‑year flood elevation.
The Norristown Zoning Hearing Board on May 6 approved a Norristown Area School District plan to expand Hancock Elementary with a permanent modular building, voting 5‑0 to grant the variances and special exception the district sought.
District Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Cardwell and Shock Group engineer Brian Matson told the board the project adds 11 interior spaces — eight classrooms, two flex spaces, a faculty break room and a music classroom — to relieve overcrowded classrooms. The district does not plan to increase student enrollment, Cardwell said.
Engineer Brian Matson explained the project’s stormwater and floodplain approach. “The blue line is how the FEMA flood plane is depicted on the FEMA mapping,” he told the board, adding that the project’s red line reflects a surveyed, studied flood elevation of 142. Matson said the proposed building floor elevation will be about 151.5, roughly nine feet above the studied elevation.
Tim Davis of Shock Group clarified the enrollment and flood mapping, saying the district is not proposing any enrollment increase and that the red line on the plans corresponds to surveyed elevations derived from FEMA’s study. “We are out of the flood plane by 9 ft, but because of the technicality of the mapping, we are seeking the relief tonight,” he said.
The board’s questions focused on classroom count, building systems and stormwater measures. Presenters said the modular units will be permanent structures built off site, will match the existing building’s materials and will include full HVAC, restrooms and code‑compliant fire protection. The applicants also said the site will receive underground stormwater management improvements rather than a green roof, which they said would not provide sufficient volume reduction for the stream characteristics on this site.
The board closed the public hearing and moved to approve application 21‑26 for the requested relief; the motion passed unanimously.
What happens next: the district may proceed with permitting and the work described in the plans. The approval includes the variances from Norristown zoning sections cited in the application that allow the school expansion and increased impervious cover in an R2 district.
