Planning commission recommends approval for 205-unit Vandenberg Road development with eight waivers

The Upper Merion Township Planning Commission on April 8 recommended approval of a preliminary/final land development plan for a 205-unit multifamily building at 720 Vandenberg Road, endorsing eight requested waivers and attaching two conditions: the applicant must satisfy the Fire Marshal's forthcoming written review and pay a fee in lieu of planting 45 replacement trees as calculated by HRG.

Township Planner Jarrett Lash told the Commission the application was a resubmission with updated review letters from Bowman Engineering, HRG and the Upper Merion Sanitary Authority. Leonard Altieri, the applicant's attorney, described the proposal as a 205-unit building on roughly 6.85 acres with about 300 parking spaces, some in a ground-floor parking podium, and said the applicant sought a recommendation of approval and eight waivers.

Civil engineer Shannon Heybach-Park presented the site plan changes since the prior submission: added pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalk connections from Arnold Road, reorientation of the crosswalk at the Arnold Road access to a perpendicular alignment, a mid-block crosswalk across Vandenberg Road, an underground detention basin at the north of the site and an above-ground infiltration basin at the front, and a modified access arrangement with the adjacent TechTube property that will be memorialized by an easement. Heybach-Park summarized the waivers: combined preliminary/final review; smaller storm pipe diameters for roof/downspout segments; grading within 5 feet of the property line; partial reliance on aerial photography in lieu of a full 200-foot survey where access is unavailable; a shortfall of 45 replacement trees versus the calculated requirement of 69; reduced planting-bed widths (about 5 feet instead of 10); a fee-in-lieu for recreation land dedication ($410,000 as calculated by Township staff); and omission of Arnold Road right-of-way dedication in favor of a recorded easement.

Traffic engineer Matt Hammond said sidewalks will be provided along the full frontage and that ADA-compliant ramps will be provided on the applicant's side of crosswalks; he noted an ADA ramp on the opposite corner of Arnold Road could not be provided due to lack of right-of-way and a manhole within the ramp footprint. On sight distance, Hammond reported approximately 168 feet available for vehicles exiting left at the Arnold Road access and about 182 feet for left-turning vehicles entering from the south, compared with the Township ordinance assumption of 200 feet for a local 30 mph design speed. He argued actual travel speeds are below that design assumption and cited PennDOT comparables; he also said the 205-unit residential use would generate roughly "33 to 34 percent less peak-hour traffic than would a fully occupied office use on the same site." "The PennDOT standard for comparable conditions is approximately 140 to 180 feet, which the site meets and exceeds," Hammond told the Commission.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on several technical points. Commissioner Jaquelin Camp relayed the Shade Tree Commission's concern that trees removed from parking areas were not being replaced in kind; Heybach-Park said total site tree counts will increase but the replacement-calculation shortfall results from removing several large-caliper trees and that the ordinance allows a fee-in-lieu option. Commissioner Kenneth Brown and Township Engineer Albert Vennettilli questioned Waiver 2 (reduced storm pipe diameters), citing past roof-drainage failures during heavy snow or ice and the risk of debris accumulation in smaller vertical drains; they requested a roof drainage plan, diagram of drainage areas and downspout locations, and a comparison showing that the proposed smaller-diameter components provide equivalent capacity to a system composed entirely of 15-inch lines. Heybach-Park explained the vertical downspouts transition from 6' to 8' to a 10''012' trunk line within about 5 feet and tie into a 15-inch-or-larger storm line, and that cleanouts are provided at manholes and connection points.

Lash noted the Montgomery County Planning Commission had recommended the Township pursue workforce and inclusionary housing policies generally; he clarified that the county's comment was a municipal policy suggestion, not a request to impose inclusionary requirements on this applicant under current Township ordinances.

Commissioner Camp moved to recommend approval of the preliminary/final land development plan for 720 Vandenberg Road, inclusive of all eight waivers, conditioned on (1) compliance with the Fire Marshal's formal written review letter when issued and (2) payment of a fee in lieu of replacement tree planting for the 45-tree deficiency to be calculated by HRG. The motion was seconded and carried by a voice vote of all members present. The Commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action; the Fire Marshal's written comments remain outstanding and the applicant must address them as a condition of approval.

Next steps: the Board of Supervisors will consider the Commission's recommendation and the Fire Marshal's formal letter when available; the applicant will provide the requested roof drainage documentation and HRG will calculate the fee-in-lieu for the replacement-tree shortfall.