A plan for five townhomes at 593 Limerick Center Road in the Linfield section of Limerick Township moved closer to approval Tuesday after the board of supervisors directed its solicitor to prepare a final resolution for the development.
The decision followed discussion about trash collection, street trees, traffic safety, and building design.
The project is proposed by MCH Development, a small Chester County-based builder. Company representative Greg Wagman told the board the firm completes about five projects a year and has operated for 16 years. He said the company purchased the property for cash and hopes to begin construction as soon as possible.
Wagman said the company is tentatively targeting home prices in the $500,000 range, though final pricing will depend on market conditions closer to completion.
The plan calls for five townhomes arranged as a three-unit building and a twin, with rear-entry basement garages, additional parking in the rear, and an emergency access drive through the center of the site. Because the property slopes away from Limerick Center Road, the buildings would appear to have two stories from the front and three from the rear.
Wagman described the property as unusual because it consists of two separate parcels on the same deed. MCH Development plans a land swap with a neighboring property owner to consolidate the site and accommodate the proposed townhomes.
The proposal received a recommendation from the township planning commission earlier this month.
Sewer Connection Challenges Delayed Project
Wagman said the project took more than a year to reach final review largely because of difficulties resolving how the development would connect to the public sewer system.
He said the company had initially been asked to pump sewage uphill to a manhole along the state road but pushed for a gravity-fed connection to an existing sewer main running through the rear of the property.
After extensive coordination and some changes to the proposed routing, Wagman said the developer would be able to proceed with its preferred gravity-fed connection.
Conditions on Trash and Landscaping
Board President Connie Lawson asked that trash and recycling containers not be stored at the front of the properties, citing the appearance of other developments in the township where containers are kept to the rear. Representatives for MCH Development agreed to include that restriction in the homeowners association documents.
Wagman said the company expects garbage collection to occur at the rear of the units, though he acknowledged that the arrangement would depend on whether collection trucks could navigate the private driveway.
Supervisors also raised concerns about delivery vehicles stopping along Limerick Center Road. Township Traffic Engineer Joe Platt said no-stopping or no-standing signs could be installed, but enforcement would depend on police catching drivers who stop briefly for deliveries.
The board also discussed street trees. Wagman said the site has about three feet between the front of the buildings and the ultimate right-of-way line, leaving insufficient space to meet the township's requirement that street trees be planted at least five feet from that line. He requested permission to place trees within the right-of-way instead.
Lawson supported planting trees but expressed concern about roots potentially damaging sidewalks or building foundations. Township Engineer Khal Hassan said the tree placement requires specific board authorization rather than a waiver, and that township staff would work with the developer to select appropriate species before the plan is recorded.
Design and Traffic Concerns Raised
The developer's representatives presented renderings of a similar project previously built in the Harrisburg area. Wagman explained that the colors shown would not necessarily be used for the Limerick project.
Supervisor Cheryl Walraven said the proposed townhome renderings did not match the character of the Linfield community and encouraged the developer to consider the area's traditional architectural style. She noted that the board has previously discussed adopting architectural guidelines. Township Solicitor Rebecca Geiser said the township code does not currently define a standard for the appearance Walraven described.
During public comment, Allie Sasek, a resident who said she frequently walked past the property growing up, described the nearby curve as dangerous. She urged the township to add signage, saying drivers often speed through the area.
Stormwater Management and Next Steps
The developer requested several waivers, including permission to use stormwater pipes smaller than the township's standard 18-inch requirement and relief from widening Limerick Center Road along the property's frontage.
Hassan said the proposed reduction in pipe size would not affect the stormwater system's performance. Much of the infrastructure was installed under an earlier approved plan to turn the property into a commercial parking lot, and the developer intends to reuse it.
Officials said runoff generated by the proposed development would be managed on-site, separately from water flowing through the creek behind the property.
With Supervisor Kara Shuler absent, the board voted 3-1 to authorize the township solicitor to prepare a final resolution for consideration, with Walraven opposed. The project has not yet received final approval.
