New 205-Unit Apartment Complex Approved In Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — A new high density apartment building has been approved in Phoenixville, signalling a continuation in the area's growth while raising concerns about the consequences of zoning laws in the borough.

Luxor Phoenixville, a 205-unit, four story apartment building, will be located on Wheatland Street at the location of the former A.P. deSanno factory.

Phoenixville's borough council approved Luxor's final subdivision and land development application by a vote of 5-1 during this week's meeting.

The lone dissenting vote came from borough councilwoman Dana Dugan.

"We have to change this zoning," she said. "They're all apartments, so they're not people who are going to live in the community for a lengthy period of time. I am just not in favor of this."

All of the units in Luxor will be rental units, primarily one-bedrooms and studios. Information on pricing was not immediately available.

The proposed plan also calls for 288 parking spaces, which includes 138 standard spots and 150 in an underground garage. The complex will also include an outdoor pool, indoor yoga studio, gym, BYOB bar, and a courtyard.

One issue of concern raised by borough council was the placement of the pool, which is immediately on Wheatland Street. Mike Murray, an attorney representing Luxor, said that if the pool was placed elsewhere on the property, it would be shaded and not in the sun. However, he noted that they planned to include landscaping to shield the pool from the street.

The site of a former swimming pool on the property is now a proposed stormwater basin area.

When questioned, developers said that they had to scrap plans to integrate the existing facade from the old factory, something which they had indicated they planned to do in their initial proposal. Instead, they said they plan to work with the borough's Historical Society to develop a tribute to the factory on the interior of the building.

Luxor will also contribute $65,000 to the borough to design and install a new traffic signal to handle the increase in residents in the area.

The site is located across from Steeltown, the affordable housing development.

Luxor is but one of several proposed developments in various stages of approval and construction around Phoenixville, as the borough attempts to continue to balance its growth with sustainability and infrastructure concerns.