Towamencin approves school use for former Rite Aid

 Township officials have voted ahead plans for a new school in a former pharmacy building on a busy corner in Towamencin.

“We think it’s a good use for what is otherwise an empty building, and we want to get started on the interior renovations,” said attorney Kate Harper.

In September the township supervisors heard a first presentation of plans for the vacant Rite Aid building at Valley Forge Road and Sumneytown Pike, where a Goddard School could occupy the roughly 11,400 square foot building that dates back to the early 2000s. At that time, the applicant said they needed a variance from township codes requiring parking spaces per square foot for the building, arguing they can’t add more because the site is already developed.

During their Dec. 11 meeting, the supervisors heard an update from Harper on developments since that first presentation, along with a request to waive the formal land development process because the site is already built out.

“We did get relief from the zoning hearing board on the parking issue. We have plenty of parking for employees; they gave us relief on parking for parents,” she said.

“And we agreed that if we’re going to have the whole school at once, we’d move (any event) offsite and have it someplace else,” Harper said.

All comments from township consultants in review letters will be addressed or complied with, the attorney told the board, and the project team is working with county officials on any changes that might be needed to the driveway entrances from Sumneytown.

“In general, we will have fewer cars all day, but more cars at rush hour. We also anticipate that people who will be dropping their children off, and picking them up, were already on Sumneytown heading to work, and they’ll be just coming in,” she said.

“But we understand that we have to comply with what the county wants, and we’ll work something out with them, because they own Sumneytown Pike,” Harper said.

As she spoke, the attorney showed an overhead photo of the site with the current parking and driveway configurations largely unchanged, new striping added to better mark crosswalks, and an outside playground area added on the west side of the building.

    Attorney Kate Harper, inset right, and traffic engineer Pete Spizak show a site plan for a proposed Goddard School on the site of a former Rite Aid pharmacy at Valley Forge Road and Sumneytown Pike in Towamencin during the township supervisors’ Dec. 11, 2024 meeting. (Screenshot of meeting video)
  

“We think there’s a big demand, for our kind of services, and Goddard has a good reputation,” Harper said. Supervisor Joyce Snyder joked, “Can I send my adult children there?” and Harper answered that they’d need to add more classroom space to do so.

Snyder then asked for specifics on where the playground would be, and Harper said it would be largely located in what had been a drive-through for the Rite Aid, and would follow Goddard’s standards for fencing around the playground. Traffic engineer Pete Spizak added that the current right-in, right-out driveways to and from Valley Forge and Sumneytown would remain, with minor changes.

“On Sumneytown Pike, we are providing some improvements: basically we’re going to be putting in a median in front of the right-in, right-out, to eliminate anybody from being able to make a left (turn) in or out,” Spizak said, and the driveways to and from Valley Forge Road could also see minor added barriers.

Snyder said she was very familiar with those driveways from being a customer at the former pharmacy, and glad to see a new use there.

“It looks terrific, and I’m really excited to see a day care go in there,” she said. Supervisor Kofi Osei agreed: “I’m always just excited to use empty buildings,” and the board then approved the plans and waiver unanimously.

Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2025 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www.Towamencin.org.

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.thereporteronline.com