Taller Buildings, Apartments Open For Development In Downtown Hatboro

HATBORO, PA —After nearly two hours of public comment, Borough Council approved a mixed-use ordinance Monday night that opens up the downtown district for taller buildings and apartments.

In a 5-2 vote before a crowd of 50 people, the council voted to allow developers to make proposals that could see building heights go to 60 feet provided they meet certain guidelines, a decision fought against by most of the 20 people who spoke during the public hearing.

"I don't want a 60-foot building casting a shadow," resident Timothy Morris said. "That seems very silly. It won't look like Hatboro anymore."

Mayor Tim Schultz issued a statement before the council voted.

"We are lacking a town center plan," said Schultz, who is also president of the Hatboro Chamber of Commerce. "We can do this responsibly. The tax base is our responsibility. We could bear less of a burden as residents. If we don't act, we face a loss of existing businesses."

Council members George Bollendorf, Dave Stockton, Nicole McMenamin, Alex Myers, and Nicole Reichner approved the amendment to the ordinance, which added a "Town Center Mixed-Use" development option.

The option allows for buildings along York Road —from Byberry Road to Montgomery Avenue —to be taller than the current 35 feet allowed.

McMenamin and Stockton said the amendment includes feedback from residents provided at prior meetings about the ordinance, including setbacks for when buildings are over three stories.

"I love our small-town feel," Bollendorf said. "We don't want our small town to die."

Councilwomen Amanda Jacobus and Nicole Shay voted against the measure.

"This ordinance protects the borough. It won't hurt it," said Shay, who was serving at her first council meeting.

Shay told the audience that she had worked on the ordinance as a member of the planning commission. She told Patch after the meeting that she voted against it because buildings could go to five stories.

If developers meet certain obligations, they may qualify for a maximum 25 feet of additional building height to 60 feet, but no more than five stories. Developers could also add apartments into the area with the first floor designated for retail use.

Resident Karen Shubick, a regular at council meetings, said that she worried that apartments would be "sitting there empty" like nearby Willow Grove, which constructed apartments in its downtown stretch.

Borough officials said that no proposals have been brought forward by developers but this will allow them to apply.

They also told residents that a developer would still have to follow normal borough regulations and processes before a proposal is approved or goes before the council.