Residents of the Gwynmont Farms section of Montgomery Township have announced their opposition to a proposed four-story, 150,000-square-foot Penn Medicine Ambulatory Healthcare Facility and adjacent 52,000-square-foot, four-story parking garage between Gateway Center and Gwynmont Drive.
The group of residents said they believe their safety and the privacy of their neighborhood will be threatened by the proposed development, and they plan to make their opposition known at an informational meeting with township staff and representatives from Penn Medicine Tuesday night at the Montgomery Township Community and Recreation Center at 6 p.m.
At least 14 residents who would be closely affected by the potential development received letters from Montgomery Township Manager Carolyn McCreary advising them of the conditional use application for the construction.
“Members of the Board of Supervisors may be present [at the meeting]. However, to comply with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sunshine Law, they will not make any comments or answer any questions at this informational meeting,” wrote McCreary in the letter.
The application will be before the township Planning Commission on Dec. 15, who will either recommend supervisors accept or deny the application. From there, it will be before the supervisors in January at a to-be-determined date.
According to resident Trisha Nye, who released a media alert to North Penn Now, the development has no step down from commercial to residential use “causing grave concerns for the privacy and safety of the Gwynmont Farms community.”
“The residents plan to show up in force to appeal to Penn Medicine representatives to abandon their irresponsible plan and to the Planning Commission to reject the proposed plan,” Nye said.
Neighbors have laid out their major concerns, which include the following:
• Traffic concerns: Neighbors believe 4,000 extra vehicles will result in “horrendous traffic, the inability for us to exit our community, traffic backups at Welsh and North Wales Road as well as Welsh and Stump Road. People will inevitably make a wrong turn into our development, and if late for an appointment, speed to make the appointment and create concerns for our young children.”
• No transition from commercial to residential: “Why of the three comparatively studied facilities are we the only build not in a business park/business area and that abuts a residential neighborhood? Also, there are other suitable properties not abutting residential neighborhoods available in the area. Why not the mall? Step down is a natural tenet of appropriate land use, and not having this is indicative of corporate irresponsibility.”
• Safety concerns including increased crime with the addition of a transitory population.
• Privacy concerns: “People in the building will essentially be able to see into our back yards.”
• Displaced wildlife: “There are already many foxes taking over the neighborhood and several dead deer on Dekalb as they attempt to find a new home from the overbuild of the area.”
• Increased pollution from traffic and individuals.
• Storm water and sewer concerns.
• Light pollution.
• Inconsistency with the township plan: “The township has opted for more ‘green’ space as the area becomes overcrowded and overbuilt. This project is in direct opposition to the initiative.”
• Noise concerns from delivery trucks, trash trucks, air brakes and “screeching tires zooming around the parking garage.”
Gwynmont Farms neighbors have already hit the ground running on a local grassroots effort to prevent the development.
They have asked concerned residents to send letters to Penn Leadership and Trustees, including Senior Vice President Facilities and Real Estate Services Anne Papgeorge and University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin P. Mahoney, as well as the Montgomery Township Supervisors, state Rep. Melissa Cerrato, Senator John Fetterman, and Governor Josh Shapiro.
You can find contact for the individuals and a form letter at this link. A petition against the building of the center can also be found here.
See also:
Upper Gwynedd Pursuing $1.15 Million Grant to Help Acquire Martin Tract
Discover Lansdale Receives $1 Million Grant for Lansdale Freight House
Preliminary Plan Submitted to Tear Down Sumney-Forge Shopping Center, Build ‘Super Wawa’
