As you may have read in our previous story, Conshohocken’s Borough Council is moving forward to select one of two proposals that were submitted to redevelop the Verizon Building, the old fire house and the grass area next to the Washington Fire Company.  No public discussion is planned until the night of the scheduled vote on August 21st.

In Plymouth Township there was a controversial proposal recently that was shot down in zoning and planning.  Now the owners and the township want to know what residents think is an acceptable us for the land, so the Plymouth Township Supervisors are holding a special meeting on August 12th to discuss that very topic. As reported by the Times Herald:

Plymouth council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 12, to ask residents living near a controversial parcel off Chemical Road what use would be acceptable to the residents.

 

Previously, Prime Hotels Inc. of North Wales had proposed building an 82-bed, four-story hotel on a 7.8-acre parcel off Chemical Road that is owned by Preferred Unlimited of Conshohocken but that proposal was rejected by the Zoning Hearing Board and the Planning Agency in December 2011.

Residents living on the nearby streets of Kings Road, Shasta Road and Main Avenue objected to the project because they said it would adversely affect their homes. The residents also objected to the proximity to Ridge Park Elementary School, which is the closest residential use to the hotel. The developer’s original plan called for an emergency exit road to be located through the school property.

The interesting part is that Conshy owns the buildings and land that are being proposed for redevelopment and Borough Council has not sought the input or shared the overall proposals and concepts with residents.  It is not some faceless corporation, but elected officials that are driving the bus to quickly make a decision.

Do you think Borough Council should invite the developers to a similar meeting prior to their vote to explain the proposals and seek input from residents/business owners?

Let us know in the comments.