Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Development Trindle Spring Trade Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planners table 1.2M-sq-ft Trindle Spring Trade Center after neighbors raise traffic and floodplain concerns
Summary
The Planning Commission tabled the Trindle Spring Trade Center plan July 11 after residents and commissioners pressed the developer on truck traffic, emergency access and floodplain design; the applicant said the building would be elevated about 7 feet and has an issued NPDES permit, and several waivers were forwarded to the Board of Supervisors.
The Silver Spring Township Planning Commission on July 11 heard a presentation for the proposed Trindle Spring Trade Center, a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse in an industrial zone, then tabled the plan after residents and commissioners raised traffic, safety and floodplain concerns.
James Strong, attorney for the applicant, and Greg Holtzman of BL Companies outlined changes since the concept plan: an additional emergency access drive, a raised berm with a 15-foot-wide evergreen planting buffer, and preservation of the property's original farmhouse. Holtzman said the development team has an issued NPDES permit and expects FEMA CLOMR-F/CLOMA-F approval; the building will be elevated about seven feet above the floodplain, the team said.
Traffic engineer Jared Neal described a traffic-study scoping memo and analysis of multiple area intersections, including Texaco Road at Locust Point and Route 114, and said the study included standard PennDOT formulas to estimate truck stacking and peak flows. Neal also described proposed signal retiming in nearby corridors.
Several Stevens Drive residents told commissioners they worry commercial vehicles will divert through their neighborhood, raising safety and quality-of-life concerns. The minutes record appeals to table the plan; commissioners discussed potential mitigations such as additional hydrants and landscape screening. Developers responded that physical barriers can impede emergency vehicles and reiterated planned buffering and access controls.
Commissioners forwarded multiple waiver requests to the Board of Supervisors with recommendations for approval, including waivers listed in the staff packet (SLDO 402; SLDO 402.02.3; SLDO 602.182.3.g; SWMO 301.C; SWMO 304.L.2; SWMO 305.D.1). After the waiver motions were recorded, the Planning Commission—on a Duncan/Sandys motion—tabled the Preliminary/Final Land Development Plan; the motion carried. No final approvals were made and the Board of Supervisors will next consider the forwarded waivers and the plan.
What happens next: The applicant expects to pursue required FEMA approvals for floodplain work and to address engineering and EMC comments before the Board of Supervisors considers the plan and the forwarded waivers.
