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Norristown directs staff to craft zoning text amendment after 722 Sandy Hill townhome proposal
Summary
Developer proposed 36 for-sale townhomes for a 3.3-acre site at 722 Sandy Hill and asked council whether to pursue variances or a zoning-text amendment; council voted to direct staff to work with the developer on the text amendment to add a row‑house option to the MF district.
John Benson of Artisan Land Company presented a plan for 36 for-sale townhomes on a 3.3-acre site at 722 Sandy Hill, contrasting the proposal with an earlier, larger apartment concept. Benson said townhomes would better follow the site's grade, reduce retaining-wall needs and lower overall infrastructure costs compared with a previously proposed 76-unit apartment building.
Benson told council the site is a pre-existing nonconforming condition in the MF zoning district (the district’s minimum parcel size is cited as 5 acres) and described two pathways: (1) pursue variances at the zoning hearing board for several pre-existing conditions and setback/dimensional relief; or (2) work with borough staff to amend the MF zoning text to include a row‑house/rowhome dwelling type with tailored standards, including allowances for private internal roads and adjusted dimensional standards.
Planner and council discussion centered on how to proceed. Planning staff said the application package indicated staff support for exploring a text amendment and that applicants generally prefer a text amendment because it reduces variance risk and can be faster. Council voted to direct staff to work with the applicant on the proposed zoning-text amendment.
Next steps: Staff will draft a text amendment and review it with the applicant; if council supports the draft, the borough would process the amendment with required public hearings and eventual adoption before formal land-development engineering proceeds.
