The Planning Commission will hold the first public meeting where the proposed Wawa will be on the agenda. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Washington Fire Company’s banquet hall. The meeting is usually held at old Borough Hall at 8th and Fayette, however, a larger than usual crowd is expected.
What is the Planning Commission? According to the Borough’s website, the Planning Commission mission “shall be to promote, with the greatest efficiency and economy, the coordinated development of the Borough and the general welfare and prosperity of its people; the aim of the Commission shall be to secure the uniform and harmonious growth of the Borough; its prime function shall be to investigate advise and recommend with respect to municipal planning.”
The Planning Commission is made up of five members and they all serve four year terms. The current members are:
- Joseph Dougherty, Jr.
- Aaron Weems
- Matt Mittman
- Brian Tobin
- David Bertram
The Times Herald had a pretty detailed story on the proposed Wawa and the proposal over the weekend. Below is a video interview with Chris Stetler, the borough’s zoning officer.
The Planning Commission provides a recommendation to Borough Council, the body that will make a final decision. The proposal also has to be vetted on the county level as well. Borough insiders tell me that Borough Council will not take up the issue until February or March of 2013.
If you watch the video above, take notice that there are two proposals, one of which creates a parking lot on the closed off portion of Harry Street adjacent to the stadium. The recent helipad and boat house deals both resulted in the Borough providing land for private use in return for benefits for the Borough. The helipad deal results in emergency vehicles access and a dog park being built and the boat house deal results in a boat house being built with a portion dedicated to community use. Once you start hearing about the benefits of a Harry Street parking lot, you will know this deal is done.
Also, the Times Herald story also reports that former Conshohocken solicitor, John DiPietro has been appointed to provide legal counsel to the Borough, including the Planning Commission, on this proposal. As we reported two weeks ago, Borough Solicitor Michael Savona had to recuse himself due to his working with the developer of the proposed Wawa. DiPietro is being paid $162.00 an hour. The Planning Commission’s agenda has the meeting scheduled for three hours.
Do you plan to attend?