Narberth council advances Windendale stormwater bumpouts amid neighbor objections

Council members spent more than an hour Thursday reviewing proposed stormwater “bumpouts” on Windendale Road intended to reduce sediment and earn state MS4 credits.

Tony, the borough’s consulting engineer, told the workshop the plan calls for two bioretention bumpouts — one in front of 94 Windendale and a second on the north side of the street — and explained why earlier placements near a fire hydrant were removed. He said each properly sited bumpout would earn roughly 1,200 pollutant‑reduction credits, and that the two on Windendale were estimated to produce about 2,400 credits in total, a number the borough needs to demonstrate progress under its pollution‑reduction plan.

Neighbors who spoke during the meeting strongly objected. Deon McCastney, who lives at 71 Windendale, said a bumpout directly in front of his house would “take up the entire front facade” of his property, remove at least one parking space, and create safety and maintenance concerns for children and families. Rob Gunther and other residents pressed for reducing the number from two to one, and for exploring alternate locations that would preserve parking and emergency access.

Council members acknowledged the neighbors’ concerns but emphasized competing obligations: the borough must show steady progress toward its MS4 goals and maximize available grant credit. Several members urged reliance on the engineers’ site assessments while also asking staff to pursue neighbor outreach. The infrastructure committee recommended the in‑place plan with adjustments to minimize impacts; council directed staff to ask the three most‑affected property owners to consider alternatives among themselves and to return the project to the business meeting for formal approval in two weeks.

Other technical and policy points raised during the discussion:

- Bumpout width was reduced from 8 ft (used on other streets) to 6 ft for Windendale to reduce roadway impacts. Council discussed emergency‑vehicle clearance and driveway encroachments and sought confirmation from the fire marshal.

- Where a bumpout would be close to a fire hydrant, the fire marshal recommended maintaining about 15 ft of clearance; that constraint eliminated the original proposed location and prompted consideration of three alternate sites (73, 71 and 63 Windendale).

- Staff proposed decorative iron fencing around bumpouts to reduce safety risks (strollers/children) and improve aesthetics; council approved inclusion of fencing as part of the same project pending insurance review and cost verification (staff estimated approximately $8,560 for fencing across the program, presented as a rough figure).

- Council and staff discussed inlet filters and other alternatives. Tony said inlet filters were considered earlier in the borough’s pollution‑reduction planning and rejected based on state guidance and the experience of peer municipalities; staff said they would provide the borough’s written reasoning and any state feedback at a later date.

What’s next: Council asked staff and the infrastructure committee to continue neighbor outreach and scheduled the bumpout project for a formal vote at the borough’s business meeting in two weeks. If neighbors cannot reach agreement, council said it will rely on the engineering recommendation but will implement site‑level adjustments where feasible to reduce parking loss and safety impacts.