Skippack Township Planning Commission presents considerations for Marino Properties Management Corporation plans

This evening at the Skippack Township building, board members of the township  Planning Commission voted in a reorganization for the new year. The board nominated and elected Brad DeForest to be president and Tim Landmesser vice president.

In attendance. Brad DeForest, Caesar Gorki, Tim Landmesser, Frank Nolan, Mike Rotay, Timothy Woodrow, Joseph Zaldo and Ted Locker.

Public comment. Resident Mary Gehman asked about the frequency of planning meetings in 2010. “Last year there were no planning meetings until November 2010,” said Gehman.

Ted Locker replied that there were no planning meetings because there were no applications until that time.

The meeting minutes from Dec. 20, 2010, were approved.

Plans to accept. Conditional Use—New Cingular Wireless, PCS, LLC at Bridge Road were approved by the board.

Staff Reports. Engineer Tim Woodrow, planner Joseph Zaldo, and manager Ted Locker had nothing to report.

New Business #1

Marino Properties Management Corporation presented plans for land development on 1200 Cressman Road. Pete Cokonis, an engineer with Site Engineering Concepts, LLC, the engineering firm hired by Marino, presented and explained printed plans for the new Marino Corporate headquarters. The board, having already reviewed the plans, presented Cokonis with their considerations and will not approve the plans until those considerations are met.

The majority of the concerns were voiced by the township engineer Tim Woodrow and township planner Joseph Zaldo. Major topics were:

• Site wetlands analysis testing was not considered. Woodrow suggested this would be needed to move ahead.
• Possible encroachment of a private residential driveway in the northeast corridor would have to be remedied.
• Considerations around the need to have the property approved for construction company usage need to be addressed.
• Attention to possible crossing sewage lines based on the plans.
• Required private residential traffic impact studies would have to be completed.
• Concerns about the curb along Cressman Road tapering in to meet the curb entering Lower Salford Township
• Questions were also asked about the discharge of underground basins that were proposed in the plans.

These questions and concerns will be addressed and presented to the board at the next Planning Commission meeting.

New Business #2

A request was submitted to rezone three parcels of land along Skippack Pike and Cressman Road. The board approved the suggestion to combine Lockwood Offices, the Square Dancing Barn and an adjacent vacant property to be rezoned from their current split zoning of limited industrial and general commercial to all general commercial.

The three property owners are Skippack Progress Group (a Gambone Company), 4335 Skippack Pike LLC, and a vacant property owned by Judith Johnston Wexler.

The board adjourned at 8:30 p.m.