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THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
"VISION 2035" IS  BEING USED AS A BACK DOOR 
FOR TOWNSHIP WIDE REZONING
|THE BENEFIT IS TO DEVELOPERS ...
unless you happily welcome multi-units triplexes, or commercial and deeper density without your say

NEXT MEETING - check township website & calendar  -
The Mar 15th meeting was cancelled as they had failed to post agemda & documents in the legal time
But we have asked them to hold an open mic zoom or an in-person  roundtable meeting before they go further - or at least answer questions ( right away ) on a question answer page - why do you think they simply will not do that  and will not post the Future Land Use  map on an interactive platform so you can type in your address and see if you are in a circle?

Because they want to pass it BEFORE you understand it

  Please tell your Commissioner you need his help to have all these fancy tools you pay for work for YOU

HERE'S THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN INFO ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE:  https://www.abingtonpa.gov/government/board-of-commissioners/board-of-commissioners-intiatives/vision-2035-abington-s-comprehensive-plan-update

   The Nutshell : Please see the maps above and below -  the little blue circles are now just a quarter mile radius - they replaced the original 1/2 mi  radius grey circles on the original map . They indicate  Mixed Residential Overlays-  The dotted line circles (still 1/2 mile on the new map)  indicate Transit Oriented Districts that are distinguished by increased density, often of both commercial and residential. Is your home inside one of these circles?

       This is a clear abuse of power here  - as Manager Manfredi is accomplishing a goal that he has hinted at often - revising    our recently passed  zoning document and arranging to have it amended  to HIS liking - to improve the bottom line of  his friends, the developers.  This is the same manager who will not assign a real person to answer the phone when you call the Township, or require  his highly paid code personnel to do their jobs and cite  violations to improve blight and trash in the Township.  The same manager who regularly refuses to meet with or talk to residents or answer their questions - even when he says in public that he will or he does or he did.  He also refuses to answer many people's emails ( even if YOU'VE been lucky enough to get a response once or twice - everyone isn't and we ALL deserve to have a manager who is responsive.  But you can see on this map below what he wants to be very busy with........ the development of YOUR properties .

Mr Manfredi and his appointed team which includes an architect , Ward 6 Comr Mike Thompson who is already busy with his firm developing projects his colleagues have voted on - like Penn State -  and some that we haven't seen a vote on at all- like the  construction that went on in 2019 and 2020 and 2021  at the Township Building.  Working at Manager Manfredi's direction and pleasure, the Team is  planning  to change as many of our neighborhoods as they can  to the favor of the developers - and change our shopping districts, too- adding residential.  The grey circles indicate areas which will no longer be  R1, R2, R3 or R4  --- the number of units will grow exponentially -  and most of our commercial areas --- will  (if he's allowed to continue like this )  allow Mixed Residential usage  (apartments, duplexes, townshouses, etc.). Imagine the influx  of students to  the schools, or traffic on our already crowded roads, as there is NO WAY of calculating how many units such a rezoning  could produce . Even just the "visioning"  without the rezoning part, will enable proposals to escape Spot Zoning laws.  When an applicant asks for something outside of his "by right" zoning, it can be approved without being illegal Spot Zoning, if it is within the vision of the  Township Commissioners,  because of the recently enacted caselaw on Spot Zoning. So what they are accomplishing just by CREATING this map, is the "vision" that the developers want. It's open season in Abington.
 
Therefore residents - be sure it DOES reflect what YOU want before you let it pass

PLEASE FIND YOUR HOME & YOUR FRIENDS' & NEIGHBORS' AND ALERT THEM IF THEY ARE WITHIN THESE CIRCLES

On page 353 at this link is where you will find a zoning map that you can coordinante with this map below

   Are we sure they intend to open the Zoning Code and change it ?  Yes - we are pretty sure  because on October 14th, 2021 at the Committee of  the Whole meeting, Manager Manfredi  gave a presentation  found here : 
https://abingtonpa.viebit.com/player.php?hash=21O1F8wW3HVC 

 Follow Manager Manfredi's words........
Manfredi:   (16:30 mins )" again making sure the relevance and consistency are measured against the Township’s mission and vision  to enhance the livability for Township residents, considering any amendments to the zoning or subdivision or land development ordinance (16 :54 mins) we have sitting , right now, amendments to the zoning ordinance that have been worked on for a year. That’s going to have to be vetted - the zoning ordinance is going to have to be amended- (inaudible) and you can be sure when the zoning ordinance changes, & the subdivision ordinance changes that any text amendments that might come about are measured against the Comprehensive Plan that so many people have spent so much time working on ( 17:05 mins): And, of course, focusing on chapters that are currently being developed, & in particular the Housing and Future Land Use plans for the surrounding area. "
In addition on 11-13-21 Comr Mike Thompson told me the last zoning  in 2017 was done, he said, before  the Comprehensive Plan was done. And the Zoning should have been done AFTER the Comprehensive Plan.  So they are theoretically re-doing the plan, it appears, with the intent of then rezoning .  But Comr Thompson is not correct. The last zoning WAS done in conjunction with a proper Comprehensive Plan - It took 8 years to do the Zoning - because they rezoned absolutely EVERYTHING. And the zoning we had before that remained solid for 21 years  1996 to 2017 . People who buy property need to be able to rely on the zoning rights they buy... and not have Comrs and township Managers appease developers by changing it against the wishes of the voters. 

   Who benefits from this ?        I think you can clearly see that of the existing people - the ones paying Manager Manfredi's  salary - there will be little to no benefit to see  Abington's lovely single family neighborhoods  compromised  and diminished.  These neighborhoods, where homeownership is high and rentals are at a minimum are Abington's strength. They are the reason we have good schools. Homeowners care more about quality of life issues and less about bottom lines --- which is  what we have seen and can expect more of  if we allow the majority of housing to trun over to  "corporate ownership"  where the homes are someone else's "business", not their actual  home. Apartments, duplexes, townshouses  and other  urban style housing inhabited by renters make Abington less stable.  The Comprehensive Plan Committee itself posted its researched  conclusion that :
"Homeownership rates are typically associated with neighborhood stability and a high level of home and property maintenance." ( they didn't think you would notice them advocating for reduced homeownership on all the susequent pages)

     Why is Manager Manfredi being allowed to accomplish his rezoning wish list by using the Comprehensive Plan? The impacts of the recent rezoning are only just beginning to be seen and felt.  The entire Township was just totally rezoned in favor of developers in 2017. They are just starting now to make those applications for the increased rights .  It was an eight year re-zoning process.  And not done in our interests.  Manager  Manfredi  doesn't even know the extent of some rezoning decisions  just made - not just the overall rezoning - but even as a result of text and map amendments like the YMCA rezoning that will impact other properties they refused to discuss.
           Now Manager Manfredi wants to  open the zoning code again - on his whim - and help developers again -  zoning Township wide in a way that would compromise our beautiful single family home neighborhoods - even though his team's  OWN research states emphatically that homeownership is superior. Why would THAT not be  our goal?  Instead, everything AFTER that lovely analysis in the Comprehensive Plan says that they seek to be more like the communities with less stability and lower maintenance.  Huh? 

  Dense horrific zoning - driven by the Township NOT BY PROPERTY OWNERS --usually we are concerned about  greedy property owners improperly influencing the approval of their applications . But here we see the Township working  IN  ADVANCE  on their behalves - so they don't even have to apply for a variance  or text & map amendment. . They have our paid officials doing that work for them these days.  Hence the over 30 % increase in taxes you have had in the few years since Manfredi's arrival.

  The worst part of it is that the residents have no clue. Notification that had perennially been a part of responsible government  has been dropped completely under Mnafredi Hecker and Spiegelman. There have been as of this writing, 11 meetings on the Willow Grove Mall. Most residents got one notice and then never knew about the other meetings, were not told where to look and the information was purposely made hard to get.   Developers and their attorneys and consultants have been allowed to tell the public things that are completely untrue and  Manfredi, with the blessing of the Board leadership, John Spiegelman and Tom Hecker  - has provided no place to  get any misinformation corrected - eroding our speaking rights more each year .  The three of them, themselves have told untruths to residents, while simultaneously  your participation in your government  and ushering developers in with special consideration and  unwarranted use of our staff and resources. 

   Astounding conflicts of interest..... The Comprehensive  Plan team is  led by Ward 6 Commissioner Michael Thompson and County Planner who co-wrote the developer's ordinance for him Michael Narcowicz .  Can you say "conflict of interest" . Michael Narcowicz is part of the Montco Planning Commission that reviews projects for compliance with County & Township codes and standards --- yet he himself violated a dozen of those when he wrote the PREIT ordinance all in favor of the developer.  Commissioner Thompson and his company are involved in multiple construction projects through-out the Township --- so the new rules making it easier to acquire property  where the zoning has already been changed  are likely to be self -serving either now or in the future - and they are always ahead of us by years in planning their projects .  And Manager Manfredi - what is left to say  - he has  been a friend to developers at the expense of citizen rights since he first arrived in May 2017 and began dismantling our speaking rights and our website.  

   EQUALLY DISTURRBING THINGS IN THE LAND USE CHAPTER Although residents have testified again and again that they do NOT want parking garages, here is our Township creating a "vision" for parking garages that will free up the parking lots for additional  building on the parking lots.

 CHRONOLOGICALLY

11-3-21 the map was first presented in the Comprehensive Plan meeting Oct 19. By Oct 23rd I had asked them to please overlay it on a map like the zoning map that is interactive and where you can see exactly what streets are inside the grey circles and the dotted circles . They literally refused to respond ... at all. Last week I said I was resending the request every day until I got a response. Still no response right up to  the Nov 3 Comprehensive Plan meeting - and that was sent to every Commissioner. At the meeting yesterday Comr Michael Thompson who heads the Comprehensive Plan team said there is no money to make the interactive map. I said that is ridiculous because we have 12 Million in our fund balance and they have a budget before them where eight out of nine million American Rescue Plan dollars were slated to be spent without any public input whatsoever. Even on things that were ridiculously frivilous and that were not desired by residents. And even despite the calim that they needed  a 22% tax hike . 

Manager Manfredi, who had been copied on all those communications requesting the information, said at the meeting that he did not know whether it could be put on the GIS system or why they had not done that, which of course requires only a call to the IT department or a response from Michael Narcowicz ( our County Planner and the other 1/2 of the Comp Plan leadership) or Michael Thompson. That was not done because he is not worried about being responsive to residents . 

       I also asked for the "language" that relates to the Mixed Residential Overlay and to the Transit Oriented District. Again my emails were ignored totally.  But  yesterday Comr Thompson told me they don't have any language yet. So.... imagine this....they drew circles around your homes, labeled them Mixed Residential Overlay and TOD - but they profess to have no idea what that means and have moved on to their next activity before deciding anything further. Another resident asked to discuss the map right then and was told to come to the next Comprehensive Plan meeting (where she would be allowed to sit through the presentation they had chosen on the next chapter or segment of the Comp Plan and at the end have one opportunity and just  3 minutes to ask questions or make a comment - both on this Land Use Plan and on whatever new material was presented.  The questions asked at meetings are only on rare occassions answered.

     I asked openly in the group - and then in individual conversations with Richard Manfredi, Michael Thompson and Michael Narcowiz - to schedule an open meeting in the VERY near future on this topic .  An open meeting is one where we are allowed to have "back and forth" and get answers to every question we ask, ask more than one question, and are treated with respect.   I hope all of you will ask your Commissioners to see that such a meeting is scheduled. |

  11-13-21

Here is TMI on the Saturday Nov 13th meeting ...... there were several of us there that asked right at the start of the meeting to have an open discussion about the grey and dotted circles. We were refused .

Comr Thompson said that map isn't on an interactive map because there wasn't any money . Hogwash - we have 12 million in the fund balance - the Manager spent $8M out of $9M on his own wish list choices of the American Rescue Plan - and there is $10 million more of that coming ..... so clearly we did not need to have a 30% tax increase in 2020 and 2022 . (22% of it hasn't been apassed yet - so it's not too late to speak up )

If the manager created his budget WITH the Commissioners ... it was done totally out of the public purview . The new way of avoiding a quorum that requires a public meeting is to ask all 15 to respond individually .....

We did not have a SINGLE workshop on an 856 page budget - that doesn't even have numbered pages for reference ...so YES we need people to help on this matter ... demanding a proper workshop before it is passed, numbered pages so we can refer to parts of it and share information - and expansion of the teeny, teeny , tiny charts that are not legible in printed form

The yellow map with the circles that we wanted to discuss Saturday would grant Mixed Residential over, for instance, the entire Willow Grove Mall Business District and make any of the "lego" exercises they did that day completely moot. The residents were asked to place legos on maps where they thought apartments, etc should go. Once apartments are allowed anywhere via the Yellow Map - what would it matter what residents want ? The property owner will take the highest and best use where HE wants it. No background was provided for the inexperienced residents . If you put a giant apartment building there, what will happen to your roads and schools? And your Commercial areas, if apartments are more lucrative ?

Also there was very little being directed by the actual residents - because the Planning Team, who out numbered them about 3 to one was constantly coaxing and coaching them to build taller and bigger and how about over here? In one case, an "apartment lego" was put next to the Roslyn Giant on the last patch of greenspace -- but that was put there by Planner and Team Leader Michael Narcowicz, who should have known how severe the stormwater problem is there. He said nothing about that issue - but ironically right behind him was a chart listing residents concerns .... with Stormwater management at the top of the list . You can't make this stuff up ( and it's on video. )

Amazingly legos representing the PREIT building in the Bloomies parking lot were put on the map - making it look like - Voila -- here is what the residents want . But again you can watch the video of the Planners doing most of the manoevering -- and cajoling. The residents were engaged and very ernest - but had no clue about all the issues each selection was shrouded in. So between 5 and 10 residents out of 56, 000 with no training and no background on the many issues created the "residents vision" of land use for the Comprehensive Plan. Amazing, no?

And residents who wanted to discuss the grey circles around hteir homes were told to come to the next meeting where we could sit for an hour or two and let them discuss whatever they want ......and if we last long enough we'll have 3 minutes at the end to speak. THAT IS NOT HOW OUR GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO WORK ... but unless we get people to step up and say enough is enough this nonsense will pass --- and change Abington forever.

We asked for an open mic roundtable style meeting . I hope you will, too - An open mic zoom would be fine - and/or a video taped in person roundtable to follow that .

They hope to pass this Comprehensive Plan by late March or early April .

Please ask to have the map made interactive immediately ( because it takes time to get the word out to people. They shouldn't be missing these meetings . And ask to have the language/definition for Mixed Residential Overlay and TOD districts clearly written on the Comprehensive Plan website. If each of you asks your Commissioner, Comr Thompson Manager Manfredi and Michael Narcowicz - and shares your answer back here, it will make a difference .

rmanfredi@AbingtonPA.gov ; mnarcowi@montcopa.org ; mthompson@abingtonpa.gov

 

 

   This site is a forum for information sharing and idea sharing.  Please feel free to send your  view  and please be sure to  tell us about any information you believe to be incorrect - write  lel@abingtoncitizens.com

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Abington Township, with John Spiegelman in charge, revamped the entire Township website at the end of 2015 and broke all the links to the information we had archived on this site for you.   In 2017, Manager Richard Manfredi arrived and assigned someone not qualified to redo the entire website again. They not only broke all archived links we had reinstated, but made everything as impossible to find as they could. Nearly all of our comments and recommedations to fix the Township website have been wholly ignored.

So we do need volunteers to work together helping the Township create a site that is functional and accessible.  We will be reinstating links as we find them....if the data is still available. So... please let us know if you find a broken link. Send us the URL of the link  and the name of the page it is on, and if we can, we'll reinstate it.
Thanks for the help.

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