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Industrial Investments urges zoning clarity after 2024 Maryland Road rezoning
Summary
At the May 11 Upper Moreland Community Development Committee meeting, Industrial Investments principals and their attorney urged revisions or clarifications to a 2024 rezoning that they say excludes traditional warehousing and creates uncertainty for existing industrial tenants. The committee requested a list of uses and will review the proposal June 15.
At its May 11 meeting, the Upper Moreland Township Community Development Committee heard from Julie VonSpreckelsen of the law firm Eastburn & Gray and principals of Industrial Investments about problems created by a 2024 rezoning of properties along the Maryland Road corridor.
VonSpreckelsen outlined Industrial Investments’ 40 years of ownership of three properties at 2385 Maryland Road, 2445–2465 Maryland Road and 2255 Computer Avenue and said the 2024 rezoning from I Limited to a BC Business Center district removed some traditional industrial uses.
John Bown, a principal at Industrial Investments, said the change has practical consequences for tenancy and operations. Rob Bown, also a principal, emphasized that the permitted-use list now excludes traditional warehousing and changes the way assembly and light manufacturing are treated, which they said could make it harder to attract or retain tenants.
Committee members asked staff for more detail. The committee requested that Mr. Bown provide a list of current and intended uses for the company’s buildings, to be delivered to Code Enforcement Director Paul E. Purtell for staff review. The committee scheduled continued discussion of Industrial Investments’ proposal for the June 15 Community Development Committee meeting at the School District Administration Building in Willow Grove.
Why it matters: The owners said uncertainty stemming from the use list could put the properties at a competitive disadvantage for job-creating tenants and affect long-term occupancy. Committee review could result in a zoning amendment or guidance that clarifies which industrial activities remain permissible under the BC designation.
No formal motion to change the zoning was taken at the May 11 meeting; the committee limited its action to requesting documentation and setting a follow-up discussion.
