As MoreThanTheCurve.com previously reported, on the July 31st agenda for the Whitemarsh Township Zoning Hearing Board is a request for an special exception to allow a 500-bed nursing home at 717 Ridge Pike in Lafayette Hill (Whitemarsh Township). The proposed building would be three stories.

The 14.04 acre property has been in the same family since 1979 according to property records and the special exception is being sought by the family members who inherited the property in 2009. Currently there is a 2,776 home on the property that was constructed in 1900.

We should have included more clarity on what is being sought from the zoning hearing board. The property falls within the Institutional Overlay District, which was created in 1982 with the intent to “provide suitable areas within the Township to accommodate institutional uses” and design standards for these uses. It is important to note that there are no uses within this overlay that are automatically allowed or “by-right,” all require the zoning hearing board to grant a special exception.

The term “special exception,” is a poor description of the process, as there isn’t any special being granted. Within the township’s zoning code, a nursing home is one of many institutional uses specifically mentioned as possible within the overlay. The only requirements that have to be met is that it is on a property that is minimally two acres (the property is 14 acres) and that it will follow regulations regarding setbacks and height. That is it. The special exception process is really just verifying those conditions have been met. You can view the zoning language regarding the Institutional Overlay District here.

Below is the language of the zoning notice.

Notice is hereby given that the ZONING HEARING BOARD OF WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 7:00 PM at the Whitemarsh Township Building, 616 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA to consider the following: ZHB #2024-19: James J. & Theresa C. Smith, Mathew, Joseph & Francis V. Smith; 717 Ridge Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444; Parcel #65-00-09628-00-9; Block 038; Unit 004; AA – Residential – Institutional Overlay District; The Applicants are proposing to redevelop the Property as a 3-story, 500 bed nursing home. The following relief is requested: Special Exception under Section 116-175.L. in the Institutional Overlay District to redevelop the Property for a nursing home as allowed by said section.

This area of Ridge Pike near the border of Whitemarsh and Springfield townships has three similar facilities, the Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill on the Whitemarsh side of the border and Atria Lafayette Hill and Meadowview Rehabilitation And Nursing Center on the Springfield side.

The hearing will be held on July 31st at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitemarsh Township Building. We have been told that this has been continued to a later date by residents interested in the hearing, but that has not been confirmed yet with a notice from the township or the release of the official agenda. We will provide an update when it is.