The Upper Providence planning commission declined to recommend approval of an apartment development along South Collegeville Road on Wednesday, voting instead to table the matter until developers return with a final plan.
The project, proposed for 1731-1765 South Collegeville Road, would place 472 apartments in four buildings on a nearly 29-acre site in the Yerkes Mixed-Use District. The site spans six parcels. It is a joint venture involving the High Companies and Audubon Land Development, according to representatives who presented the plan.
Commission members said they were not comfortable recommending final approval while review letters still listed a large number of unresolved comments. Commissioner Joe Peters noted the draft reviews included 16 items on the subdivision and land development plan, 18 on the utility plan, more than 20 on stormwater, 17 on sanitary sewer, and additional items on landscaping, lighting, and zoning. He said that he would prefer to see the plan the developer intends to present to the township’s board of supervisors before making a recommendation.
Developers Cite Minor and Outside Items
Project representatives said most remaining items were technical corrections and would not change the plan's compliance with township requirements. They noted the zoning comments were tied to floodplains under review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a process that had been delayed by a partial federal shutdown.
Tony Seitz of the High Companies said the developers had met repeatedly with township staff and had held individual and group meetings with neighbors in Collegeville Borough, which borders the property. Active recreation facilities were relocated to the south side of the site in response to neighbors’ concerns.
Township Engineer Jen Gutshall said the applicant had addressed at least five pages of comments in the prior 48 hours, noting “they are definitely moving quickly to address everything.” She said the plan's overall layout, landscaping, and basin locations would not change.
The commission also reviewed a requested waiver to allow a 6-inch pipe for the underdrain system of managed release stormwater basins, rather than the 15-inch minimum required by ordinance. Gutshall said the smaller pipe had sufficient capacity and that the county conservation district was driving the revision.
Commission members voted to table the application. The developer is expected to return to the planning commission on August 5 with a final plan before the Upper Providence Board of Supervisors considers the project on August 17.
