Planning Commission Recommends Final Approval for Renew Bible Church Expansion, Grants Tree-replacement Waiver

The East Rockhill Township Planning Commission voted Sept. 11, 2025 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors grant final land-development approval for Renew Bible Church’s proposed additions and site work, contingent on engineering corrections and conditions outlined by township consultants.

The proposal covers an approximately 12,486-square-foot building expansion connecting the Heritage Chapel to the Ministry Center/Victory Hall on a 17.5-acre site in the Cultural–Education zoning district. Plans call for internal building additions, a rear patio to the Hillside Building, expanded parking, activity-field grading and other site improvements. The property is served by the township sanitary sewer system via a private grinder pump and by Perkasie Regional Authority water.

Why it matters: The commission’s recommendations clear a major procedural hurdle ahead of the Board of Supervisors’ final action and address neighborhood access, stormwater, and vegetation concerns that neighbors and staff flagged during review.

Township engineering and staff comments required that the applicant address stormwater-basin details, underdrain and discharge-profile inconsistencies, sanitary sewer capacity for the expanded facility, and provide documentation of PADOT Highway Occupancy Permit coordination for proposed frontage work. The engineering review noted that proposed post-development stormwater discharge rates to the site’s northern and southern discharge points are reduced from existing conditions, but that detailed design corrections remain necessary.

The commission discussed a new one-way in/emergency access proposed at the north end of the site frontage. Applicant representative Greg Landis said the access “was proposed to also provide ingress onto the site to alleviate congestion on Fifth Street,” while Secretary Dave Nyman noted the access had originally been designed as emergency-only and that nearby property owners (the Taylors) had not been contacted about an ingress option. Neighbor George Hawthorne requested additional plantings or a fence to shield headlights from his property; Renew Church representatives said they would consider screening measures.

The commission also considered tree-replacement requirements for woodland clearing. Because location constraints limit where replacement trees can be planted, the commission voted to recommend waiver of the tree-replacement requirement in Section 22-515.7, contingent on either payment of a fee in lieu of planting or placement of replacement trees at approved alternate locations. The motion to recommend that waiver was made by Richard Kelly and seconded by Aaron Teel; the roll-call outcome recorded five votes in favor and one abstention (Dave Nyman).

Separately, the commission moved to recommend final land-development approval to the Board of Supervisors, contingent on compliance with Wynn Associates’ Sept. 8, 2025 correspondence and limiting use of the northern access drive to emergency access only. That motion was made by Blake Eisenhart and seconded by Anne Fenley; vote: five in favor, one abstention (Nyman).

Public-safety reviewers and the Perkasie Fire Company are to be provided the revised plans for comment; the applicant must secure any PADOT HOP approvals required for frontage improvements. The applicant was also asked to provide sewage-flow estimates and pump-system details to confirm whether the existing grinder-pump system has capacity, and to execute required maintenance and stormwater-operation agreements with the township.

Next steps: The Planning Commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action; PADOT/HOP approvals and completion of the engineering corrections noted by Wynn Associates remain outstanding.