Freddy Hill Farms, owned by the Seipt family, is pictured in 2012. (Credit: MediaNews Group file photo)
'Pinnacle Realty Development Informal Concept Plan Presentation' is the first item listed under 'Zoning, Subdivision & Land Development' on the township agenda
An informal presentation by a Philadelphia developer on the future of the 130-acre Freddy Hill Farms parcels is on the agenda for Towamencin Township supervisors Wednesday night, along with consideration for a zoning amendment to add a cluster single-family detached dwelling zoning district under the R-175 residential district.
“Pinnacle Realty Development Informal Concept Plan Presentation” is the first item listed under “Zoning, Subdivision & Land Development” on the township agenda.
Supervisor Kofi Osei, on his political Facebook page, said the presentation involves Freddy Hill Farms and later confirmed that it involves the miniature golf and retail ice cream store locations.
“I am always candid about the Township's powers and responsibility around development. Being allowed to develop your property is a constitutional right and I am not the Supervisor that wants to put up roadblocks to that right,” Osei wrote on Facebook Tuesday morning. “We'll see the developer, but there is a beloved township family behind the agenda item. Allowing them their retirement while getting the best outcome for current and future residents is the approach I'm taking, and I hope the conversations avoid being accusatory.”
Osei wrote that this early in the process is the best time to provide input.
Under the current zoning of the parcels, 141 single-family homes would be permitted, should a developer wish to build on the parcels. Should the cluster single-family zoning amendment go through, then a developer could build 253 single-family homes, per the proposal.
The R-175 amendment proposal looks to create a new R-14 Cluster Single Family-Detached Dwelling use and add the new use as a by-right use in the R-175 District.
Per the amendment proposal, an “R-14 Cluster Single-Family Detached Dwelling” is defined as “a tract of ground with a minimum site area of 10 acres, is serviced by public water and public sewer and not less than 35% of the Site Area shall be preserved as Common Open Space,” at a minimum of one-half acre.
The proposed permitted density is 1.1 dwelling units per site area, with a 12,000-square-foot minimum lot area and 14,000-square-foot maximum, a minimum lot width of 80 feet, and setbacks for front, side and rear yards at 30 feet, 15 feet, and 30 feet, respectively. Per the proposal, maximum height would be 2-and-a-half stories or less and 14 feet/one-story maximum height for an accessory structure. Parking requirements would be two off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit.
The Freddy Hill Farms parcels, owned by Freddy Ventures LP, are at present under a preferential zoning assessment under the R-175 District, according to Montgomery County land records.
Pinnacle Realty Development Company was the custom home developer of the communities of Julius Farm in New Britain Township and Deerfield Estates in Whitpain Township.
Details of the informal concept plan are unknown at this time. PRDC President Anthony Maras, Esq. said via email he would not comment on the record before Wednesday night’s meeting. Maras wrote he reserves comments or information until after public meetings.
According to its website, Jewelers’ Row-headquartered PRDC was started by Maras and David Perlman to acquire developable properties and even overlooked or historic sites, often in blighted and/or underserved areas, and transforming them into vibrant residential communities.
PRDC’s portfolio includes developments such as a 650 Fairmount, a 407-unit redevelopment; The Heid Building in Philadelphia; the 618-unit River Pointe in Bridgeport; Wallace East and West; Parkview in Conshohocken; and The Waves in Ventnor.
The company specializes in rentals, like 1210 Chestnut in the Fashion District or the Transatlantic Building in Northern Liberties, and custom homes.
