A new 205-unit apartment development is moving forward in Upper Merion after the Board of Supervisors approved plans for 720 Vandenberg Road Thursday night by a 3-2 vote.
Supervisors Greg Waks and Bill Jenaway voted against the proposal.
The project calls for a multifamily residential building on an existing 6.8-acre property at 720 Vandenberg Road. The development previously appeared before supervisors during a June 4 zoning workshop, when the applicant was seeking eight waivers from township requirements.
Eight Waivers Became Six
At the June workshop, the applicant requested the following eight waivers:
Combine preliminary and final review and approval.
Allow some storm pipes to have a diameter of less than 15 inches.
Remove an existing breezeway connecting the property with the adjacent property to the south and regrade the area to the property line.
Allow an aerial photograph showing significant natural and man-made features within 200 feet of the property instead of conducting a full survey.
Pay a fee in lieu of planting 45 replacement trees.
Receive a partial dimensional waiver for required plantings because of parking requirements and steep slopes.
Pay a fee in lieu of providing recreational parkland because the applicant said there wasn't enough land available.
Omit a right-of-way dedication for Arnold Road and instead maintain the existing condition as a 30-foot easement.
By Thursday night's meeting, that list had been reduced from eight waivers to six.
The revised plan now allows the required replacement trees to be planted rather than paying a fee in lieu of them. The applicant also no longer needed one of the previously requested landscaping-related waivers.
Concerns About the Size Aren't New
Jenaway's opposition Thursday night continued concerns he raised when the project appeared before supervisors in June.
According to the June workshop minutes, Jenaway argued that the need for the waivers was a consequence of trying to fit too large a development onto the property. He specifically pointed to the lack of a recreational area and suggested making the building narrower and adding a seventh floor to create additional parkland and trees.
The minutes indicate other members of the Board also expressed concerns at the time about the building's size. Following that discussion, the minutes reference discussion of “affordable work housing,” although they do not identify who raised the subject or provide additional details about what was proposed.
The applicant ultimately agreed to return with a new plan.
Support From King of Prussia District
The proposal also received support from King of Prussia District (KOP BID).
During Thursday night's meeting, supervisors said each member of the Board had received a letter from the organization expressing support for the 720 Vandenberg Road project. The applicant's attorney said the applicant had received the letter as well.
King of Prussia District says it represents 431 property owners and works to promote development, attract investment and generate jobs in King of Prussia. Land Use & Zoning is one of the organization's five core programs.
Affordable Housing Again Enters the Conversation
Affordable and workforce housing returned to the discussion Thursday night.
Waks, in explaining his vote against the project, noted that the development does not include affordable or workforce housing provisions.
He also acknowledged a limitation facing Upper Merion: as a second-class township, the municipality cannot simply write an ordinance requiring a certain percentage of apartments in a development to qualify as affordable housing.
Waks did, however, point to another potential approach — revisiting the township's own zoning code and creating incentives or bonuses for developers who voluntarily include affordable or workforce housing as part of their projects.
That distinction could become increasingly important as Upper Merion continues to consider new residential development and discusses the availability and cost of housing within the township.
For 720 Vandenberg Road, however, the decision has now been made. The 205-unit development received the three votes necessary to move forward.
Should Upper Merion offer zoning incentives to developers who include affordable or workforce housing in their projects?
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