A setting sun reflects off of a window near the entrance to the former McKeever’s building on Walnut Street in North Wales, as seen in June 2022. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
No word yet on what developer is requesting, say staff
Borough council has heard a preview of an upcoming round of talks on the long-discussed former McKeever’s Tavern.
“501 East Walnut: that’s a lot of variances for an entire redevelopment of the McKeever’s site,” said assistant manager Alex Turock.
The local landmark in question is an historic building at Fifth and Walnut Streets, originally built in the 1890s as the Colonial Inn, then known as the North Wales Hotel through the 20th century, and most recently operated as McKeever’s Tavern until being closed in early 2014. After it closed, council and residents discussed the future of that building and its possible demolition or preservation throughout that year while a developer proposed plans for that site, starting with a four-story apartment building in place of the old hotel that was voted down by council in early 2015, then a plan to build ten townhouses on the same property that was voted down at the end of 2017.
In 2020, staff said a new plan was in the works to convert the existing building into apartments and add a new apartment building next to it. The borough’s planning commission discussed and voted ahead plans with a long list of conditions attached, and details included that the project would include a new 31-unit apartment building with off-street parking and 3,400 square feet of commercial and café space on the first floor. In May 2022, staff announced that a developer was working on a plan for the site, and later that summer town staff said a county grant program could help fund work there, but have had little new news since, until a query last month on council’s ‘parking lot’ of long-term discussion items said no new plans had been filed as of mid-May.
The North Wales Hotel at Fifth and Walnut Streets in North Wales. (Photo courtesy of North Wales Borough)That has since changed, Turock and borough Manager Christine Hart said Tuesday: a fresh plan was filed on June 20, which staff and the borough’s solicitor are currently reviewing.
“We have not taken a deep dive into it, but we removed it just recently from the ‘parking lot,’ and now another update: we received a zoning application,” Hart said.
Andrew Berenson, a resident who’s chairman of the borough zoning hearing board, asked if that body would be asked to hear and/or rule on any plans in the near future, and if such a hearing should be held separately from other ZHB items; Hart and Turock said it’s too soon to tell.
“We’ve had what we thought would be contentious or long meetings before, and it turned out other items captured the public attention more than others,” Berenson said.
Utility lines cast shadows across the front of the former McKeever’s Tavern building on Walnut Street in North Wales, as seen in June 2022.Councilman Sherwin Collins asked if staff could say what specific approvals or exceptions the applicant was seeking, and Hart said staff are still vetting the plans.
“It’s about a four-inch-thick file, we received it late on Friday, so we haven’t delved through it,” she said.
Turock added that any zoning hearing board issue or decision would be brought back to council for further talks on whether that group should support, oppose or stay neutral on the application, and any formal plans would also need land development approval from full council too.
“This is just the zoning portion, so there will be other opportunities for everyone to weigh in,” he said.
North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on July 8 and the zoning hearing board next meets at 7 p.m. on July 1 and August 5, all at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.
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