Developer seeks waivers for Wilmington Pike redevelopment, proposes 5,888‑sq‑ft office and outdoor display

The board reviewed a preliminary land‑development application for properties at 1032 and 1036 Wilmington Pike proposing a 5,888‑square‑foot landscape‑design office with outdoor kitchen and display areas, parking, stormwater management and a secondary access connection. The applicant said the submission is intended to be largely demonstrative and asked the board for guidance rather than a final recommendation because township review letters from engineering and the planning commission were still pending.

The applicant outlined three waiver requests: allow a combined preliminary/final submission under the subdivision and land‑development code, retain the existing access point onto Wilmington Pike instead of providing a new full access as the ordinance would require, and permit fewer replacement trees than the ordinance calls for. “Under the ordinance, we are required to plant 73 trees,” the applicant said; the proposal shows fewer trees on the site due to space constraints. The applicant also said they would limit regular on‑site staffing to a small office (about four full‑time design personnel) and expect only intermittent delivery truck visits rather than continuous commercial traffic.

Board members asked the applicant to provide more precise plan sheets showing offsets to the ultimate right‑of‑way and site‑distance drawings, and noted the township cannot fully act on areas that are controlled by outside agencies. The applicant said a formal PennDOT application was being filed the next day and that the applicant expects a PennDOT review letter in October. The board asked staff to confirm which zoning hearing board approvals remain in effect and to circulate PennDOT comments when received.