Board seek special meeting, vote on recommendations
As residents continue to sound off on several ongoing projects in Towamencin, township officials want their input into a key document.
Township officials heard an update last week on a long-awaited update to their comprehensive plan, and how soon it could be finalized.
“I appreciate all of the comments tonight. I thought they were interesting. We had really good participation during the 18-month process, and more than 12 public meetings that were held during that time,” said consultant Peter Simone.
In summer 2023 the township supervisors authorized an update to the township’s comp plan, amid years of debate on selling the municipal sewer system, and board talks on various ongoing topics including plans for parks upgrades, sidewalk and trail connections, and development of several high-profile parcels. including the Freddy Hill Farms site and several owned by developer PSDC.
Since then, Simone and his firm have held a series of public meetings and surveys, presented drafts of the plan in public meetings and online, and residents have sounded off in opposition to several of those oft-discussed developments.
During the Aug. 26 supervisors meeting, Simone outlined steps taken since that last presentation, including meetings between the consultant and the township’s open space and parks board, environmental advisory commission, with staff, with supervisors, and with the township’s planning commission.
“We had a lot of input into the plan. I hope the folks here tonight will continue to come to planning commission meetings, and board of supervisors meetings, because your input is important to us,” he said.
Recommendations in the draft comp plan deal largely with open space, parks, agricultural land, and connectivity including trails and sidewalks, all topics that have been discussed by the board since the update began, the consultant told the board.
“Twenty-three of the 43 recommendations in the plan deal with parks, open space, agricultural preservation, and trails. So 23 of the 43 recommendations address what we found, from the meetings and the surveys, were the sentiments of the community. People love your parks, open space, want to have more of that,” he said.
Sidewalk, trail upgrades
An action item on the board’s agenda for Aug. 26 hits on one of those other topics, Simone added: the 2023 sidewalk study recommended a series of sidewalk and trail upgrades throughout the township. A new action item authorized Simone and his firm to draft a grant application seeking $1.5 million to fund new bike lanes and sidewalks near Firehouse Park, Bustard Road Park, Nash Elementary School, and the proposed town center area near Forty Foot Road and Sumneytown Pike.
“The board’s already moving forward with some of this work,” he said.
A separate action item also addresses a park by turning concepts discussed in recent years into formal plans: a $55,000 proposal would authorize the township’s engineer to design plans for a first phase of upgrades to Veterans Memorial Park, located off of Allentown Road adjacent to the shopping center, where the town’s veterans committee has helped oversee a plan for several stages of upgrades including lawns, benches, memorials, and more.
“This board, previous boards, and subsequent boards will probably continue on that track, with open space,” he said.
Familiar themes
As for the comments regarding Freddy Hill Farms, the PSDC projects, and other developments, those themes are familiar, the planner added.
“Residents are concerned about traffic, quality of life, loss of open space, too much development. I’m sure the same concerns were voiced when many of the folks here tonight, moved into their homes 30 or 40 years ago. It’s normal. We all don’t like change, and it’s certainly hard to grapple with,” Simone said.
And those concerned about what the plan will say should keep in mind that it’s only a plan.
“The comprehensive plan is advisory only. It has no legislative teeth. So this board, and subsequent boards, can decide to enact things in the plan, or not to enact things in the plan. That’s really up to each board,” Simone said.
A first draft was publicized for input for three to four months, then updated with feedback from the township boards and officials, and drafts and presentations are posted on the township’s website for more input.
“Planning, zoning, land use, the property rights of landowners, are all very complex issues. I’ve spent a career around those issues, and I have to say they’re often confusing to me. They’re often nuanced, and take a lot of thought and effort,” he said.
In addition to the recommendations, the draft plan also includes a market study showing a snapshot of Towamencin now, and outlines what could happen if certain projects advance.
“The plan doesn’t necessarily recommend development. It looks at scenarios if development happens, so the board can make intelligent decisions on land use and planning,” he said.
Residents wary of recommendations
Several public comments submitted by residents on Aug. 26 did not address the comp plan directly, but asked the board to oppose or slow the discussion process for the planned Freddy Hill, PSDC and other proposed developments. Simone told the board that some of those comments may have been made by residents who haven’t read the full plan or its recommendations, and offered to take their feedback and discuss specifics with anyone interested.
Peter Van Thuyne said he had specific questions about the traffic calculations included in the comp plan, and whether they were based on average daily trip observations that included North Penn High School when students and staff are in class, or on summer vacation.
“When you take nine months of heavy traffic, and we throw in three months of no traffic, the numbers don’t look bad. It doesn’t match the township, and it doesn’t match the high demand in our area, and you miss the severity of everybody talking safety and traffic,” he said.
Casey Hannings, the resident who has led a petition and online push to save the Freddy Hill Farms property from possible residential development, said he was glad to see surveyed residents agree.
“Overwhelmingly, the community reached out with concerns about the environment, open space, and the preservation of natural resources. Many of the categories expressed this sentiment, and concern,” he said. “The environment does not begin or end at a property line, and I hope you guys consider that.”
Supervisors want special meeting
Supervisor Kofi Osei said when a final draft is adopted by the supervisors, it will likely reflect the opinion of a majority of the community, and should voice their thoughts instead of that of the planner.
“I really don’t want too much of your voice getting into this comp plan,” he said to Simone.
He then cited specific language in one plan recommendation that several supervisors have spoken out against: a recommendation that a portion of any new residential development of 50 units or more contain a requirement that “a percentage of attainable housing, workforce housing,” Osei said. Such a requirement would be difficult to enforce, could discourage developers, and could spur acrimonious debates such as the long-running public conversation over such a project on Pennbrook Parkway in adjacent Upper Gwynedd.
“I just don’t like this policy. And it’s a policy that, for some reason, everyone keeps thinking is my idea. I think, before adopting this comp plan, I would like to vote up or down on every single recommendation, to make sure it’s a recommendation the majority of the board approves. And I’d like all of our advisory committees to do the same thing,” Osei said.
Supervisor Chuck Wilson said he also had issues with the latest draft of the plan, several voiced by residents worrying about density, apartments versus houses, and additional dwelling units allowed on properties.
“I don’t think this is ready to go yet. I think it needs some more work. I certainly wouldn’t support it the way it stands now,” Wilson said.
Simone then asked if the board could submit feedback on which recommendations they back or oppose, and board Chair Joyce Snyder suggested doing so at a dedicated, separate public meeting where the public can share thoughts on specifics.
“It is significant, and it is complicated. I am so excited to see all of you, I am delighted to see all of you. I want you all to come back when we have this meeting — and it will likely be months from now — and tell us what you think,” she said.
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information, visit www.Towamencin.org.
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