Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Amler Yards Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lower Gwynedd adopts zoning change for Amler Yards despite neighborhood opposition
Summary
The board adopted Ordinance 552, approving a text and map amendment affecting Amler Yards after a contested public hearing where residents cited traffic, noise and safety concerns; the ordinance authorizes conditional-use pathways but does not approve a final project plan.
The Lower Gwynedd Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 9 to adopt Ordinance 552, a text and map amendment that revises zoning for portions of the Amler Yards property and allows certain uses (including apartment houses and self-storage) in the F‑industrial district by the procedures outlined in the ordinance. The vote came after an extended public hearing in which neighbors urged the board to retain a 200‑foot buffer shown on the current zoning map.
Residents said the change would remove the community’s last clear map protection between industrial uses and single‑family lots. “This amendment removes established protections, expands industrial zoning into areas that were never intended for it, increases traffic on small roads, and permanently alters the character of our neighborhood,” said Richard Ryan, a Brookside Avenue resident.
What was decided: The hearing record included a presentation from Amler Yards’ attorneys and representatives outlining a conceptual plan—an approximately 84,000‑square‑foot self‑storage building on Tract One, a 43‑unit apartment building on Tract Two, shared parking and extended trails. The solicitor noted that tonight’s action was legislative—a zoning text and map change—not a development approval. Adoption of Ordinance 552 allows the applicant to return later for conditional‑use and land‑development approvals; it does not approve any permits, building plans, or change the process for subsequent reviews.
Arguments and responses: Neighbors raised multiple concerns: potential increases in truck traffic and daily trips, lost setbacks and buffer protection, noise from chillers and a newly installed sound fence that residents say may worsen equipment operation, and questions about soil disturbance on a former industrial site. One resident argued the acoustic study conducted for the township was incomplete; the solicitor and township staff said the township retained Metropolitan Acoustics, which concluded the chiller did not violate the noise ordinance and that the township lacks authority to compel additional mitigation after a finding of compliance.
Vote and procedural notes: A motion to approve Ordinance 552 was made and seconded and the board recorded the motion as carried by voice vote. The ordinance is now adopted; specific project elements (building design, access, stormwater, traffic mitigation and any environmental remediation) will be evaluated in subsequent conditional‑use and land‑development reviews, which will include further public hearings.
What happens next: Adoption of the zoning amendment permits the applicant to submit formal development applications; those applications will be reviewed by township professionals and will return to the public record with opportunities for neighbor comment and technical review. The township emphasized that setbacks and dimensional standards will be reviewed in subsequent submissions and that approvals for construction remain separate steps.
