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Planning agency approves variance for martial‑arts school at 832 Germantown Pike, conditioned on traffic review
Summary
The Plymouth Meeting Planning Agency approved a variance to allow a martial‑arts school at 832 Germantown Pike, with the condition that the township civil engineer review site safety and left‑turn movements. The motion passed with three yes votes and one abstention.
The Plymouth Meeting Planning Agency voted to approve a zoning variance allowing a martial‑arts school to operate in suite 3 at 832 Germantown Pike, conditioning the approval on a written safety review by the township civil engineer.
Sam Sam Hong, an attorney representing the applicant, described the property to the agency and said the space includes two portions labeled suite 3 and suite 4, with suite 4 currently leased to LabCorp through 2027. He told the agency the martial‑arts classes would be held primarily Monday through Thursday and run “between 4:00 p.m. until about 9:00, 9:30,” serving children and teen and adult students; he said the operator currently runs classes nearby and estimated roughly 60 students at the community center.
Why this matters: Agency members said the proposed hours should limit overlap with daytime office parking but raised concerns about driver safety when exiting the site onto Germantown Pike during evening peak traffic. Committee member Monica urged a traffic safety review and recommended exploring ways to limit left‑turn exits from the site.
Hong described the building layout and parking supply to support the project, saying the complex has roughly 85 spaces and that evening hours typically coincide with low office occupancy. He also noted the building had been listed for sale (initially about $1.79 million, later lowered to about $1.495 million) and that local office vacancy is high — he estimated roughly 35–40 percent vacancy in Plymouth Meeting.
Agency members questioned parking and scheduling. Committee member Neil asked about enrollment and nearby land uses; Hong said classes are staggered and that occasional black‑belt testing events would generate more activity but are infrequent. Monica pressed for a formal review of left‑turn movements; board members discussed conditioning approval on a written review from the township civil engineer (Lonnie).
A motion to approve the variance, conditioned on a review by the township civil engineer of site safety and left‑turn movements, was made, seconded, and approved. Members vocalized “I” in favor (three yes votes) and recorded one abstention. The agency directed staff to coordinate the engineer’s review and to follow up with the applicant on any recommended mitigations.
The agency also approved the minutes from the prior meeting and adjourned at 7:13 p.m.
What’s next: Staff will obtain a written review from the township civil engineer and report back; any required safety measures will be determined through that review.
