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Upper Providence panel presses developer to clean up 65 outstanding items on Springford Walk townhouse plan
Summary
The Upper Providence Planning Commission reviewed a 26-unit Springford Walk tentative plan and raised concerns about about 65 unresolved engineering and ordinance comments, pedestrian and stormwater issues and several waiver requests; the commission told the applicant to resubmit a shorter, corrected packet before it will recommend approval.
Edward Espoval, an engineer representing the applicant, presented a tentative plan for Springford Walk (formerly Ford's Edge phase 2), describing 26 townhomes on roughly 8 acres served by public water and sewer. "There's 26 townhouses," Espoval said, and the team said it had sought and received a zoning-board variance to allow a density originally described as 7.2 dwellings per acre.
Commissioners said the submission contained an unusually large number of open review comments — repeatedly cited during the meeting as about 65 outstanding items — and questioned whether the application was ready for tentative approval. "I don't know why we think that with 65 still open items after two years ... that we are so much closer to a preliminary plan," a commissioner said, pressing the applicant for clearer, consolidated responses to staff letters.
Staff and the applicant traded specifics: planners flagged two comments (items 12 and 19) that directly affect the layout — an access/hammerhead question for fire apparatus and perpendicular parking that the ordinance does not normally permit. Espoval said the fire marshal has reviewed the access arrangement and "we should provide a truck turning for that, and the fire marshal okayed the access there." Commission staff replied that a formal letter from the fire marshal will be required before a recommendation is made.
The applicant previewed waiver requests it expects to seek from the supervisors, including reduced horizontal-curve radii (the plan shows a 62-foot radius compared with ordinance values of hundreds of feet), reduced pavement widths on internal drives (proposing 26 feet rather than the standard 32 feet), and an exception to allow perpendicular parking on an access street for guest parking. "We're asking for a waiver to allow perpendicular parking on the access street to allow open floor parking for guests," the applicant said.
Nearby residents who spoke at public comment raised privacy, buffering and drainage concerns. John Martin, who lives on Schoolside Court and said he had photographed flooding on his property in past storms, urged more evergreen buffering and asked how runoff would be handled. "I printed that is to make you aware of what currently exists," he told the commission, urging the applicant and staff to ensure the new design does not worsen flooding.
After extended discussion, staff and multiple commissioners recommended that the applicant remove non-tentative technical material from the packet, resolve core layout and safety issues, and resubmit a cleaned plan. The applicant stated it intends to resubmit for a tentative or a combined tentative/preliminary review once the short list of critical items is addressed.
The planning commission did not take a final vote on the Springford Walk tentative plan; staff asked the applicant to return with revised plans and the required supporting letters and clarified waiver requests.
