On April 13th, the Whitemarsh Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to grant conditional Preliminary Plan approval for the construction of a two-story office building at the former Farmer’s Auto Service Station at 633 Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill.
From the April 12th minutes:
Mr. Guttenplan explained SLD #06-17, Laurel Holdings Group, LLC is for a Preliminary Land Development plan at 633 Germantown Pike. The applicant is proposing to demolish the previous gas station/auto mechanic’s building and construct a two-story office building with a building footprint of 3,163 square feet, along with required associated parking (32 spaces). This project received Zoning Hearing Board decisions. This is the first completely new 2-story building in the VC-1 District along Germantown Pike and will be built in accordance with the design requirements of the Village Commercial District. The Planning Commission reviewed this proposal at their February 27″ meeting. The Commission unanimously
recommended approval of the preliminary plan and recommended that the applicant comply with the three recommendations made by the Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC) to the maximum extent possible. MCPC recommended the proposed fence along the adjacent residential property be solid without spaces between slats, parking lighting be downward facing and shielded, and certain sustainable stormwater control be implemented.Jon Mayer, developer, discussed the architecture of the building proposed and the possible changes in appearance. Chair Grossman asked if the entire building will be office space. Mr. Mayer confirmed it will be. There was a discussion about the entrance and exit of the property.