The Lansdale Planning Commission Monday night got a look at two residential projects—one that’s been through many revisions, and another for the first time—that combined could add more than 400 apartment units to downtown Lansdale.
The developers of Walnut Crossing—the proposed six-story, block-long, 210-unit environmentally friendly structure at Third and Walnut streets—brought yet another revision to the board in an informational presentation. And while developers tried to minimize the impact of the project, commission members again pushed back vocally at what they viewed as the project’s excessive density.
Meanwhile—in an early look—Westrum Development presented a plan to develop the industrial area behind the Lansdale freight house along South Broad Street into a luxury apartment building the company calls "Luxor Lansdale."
The building would have between 172 and 205 units, stand five stories and 55 feet high on the approximately three-acre parcel, and be targeted at transit-oriented millennials, with nearly 90 percent of the units as one-bedroom or studios. Included in the plans are a BYOB lobby bar, gaming area, a cyber-lounge and an outdoor courtyard.
It would represent a $35 million to $40 million investment.
The vacant property is not readily accessible, set back from Broad Street behind a strip of other businesses including a convenience store, and the land has well-known environmental issues, having been in-part the site of the old Lansdale Finishers plant.
"[But] we’re really good at that. That's something we think we can do well,” said John Tallman, Westrum’s Vice President of Acquisition and Approvals, who made the presentation. In recognition of the environmental issues, he said, all the parking areas will be at grade or above.
And Westrum hopes to be able to work with the Lansdale Parking Authority, which owns the parking area adjacent to the freight house, for one access route, as well as to improve Williams Place at the south end of the development to allow a second access road.
The time line for the project is at minimum 18 months, Tallman told the board, and the plans are in the extremely early stage. The company is currently doing due diligence on the parcels.
Walnut Crossing, meanwhile, continues to be a sticking point for the planning commission. Even as the developers acquired two adjacent homes, reducing neighbor resistance while increasing project footprint, commission members remain concerned about the impact on the residences behind the structure on West Fourth Street.
And they expressed continuing concern about the general impact of a six-story, corner-to-corner project on the area. Commissioner Chris Milheim said he appreciated the developers’ efforts to remove top-story units units at the corners to reduce the perceived size, to pull back on a large central area to allow a buffer and to redesign the fronts facing Third Street to resemble townhouse facades. But Milheim added he had to "talk about the elephant in the room, which is the density of the project," and how the project went "from 145 to 190, then went to 217, then went to 210 units.”
Milheim noted there was a "only a 20 percent increase in square footage, while there's a 44 percent increase in units." Architect Mike Rosen noted that the increased footprint allowed the project to be "more efficient.” As it stands, it would be the highest population density project in Montgomery County.
