The Citizen's Network- Information about

An application by the Foxcroft Square Apartments Associates, LP for two luxury apartment buildings with a total of 78 units located on Greenwood Avenue near Washington Lane, along the access road for the shopping center with the Acme and Foxcroft Pavillion, was put before the the Board in 2002 .

   Each building was 5 stories high, and would have an underground parking garage. Unlike the previous proposals for this particular site, this application, everyone was told by Zoning officer Mark Penecale, was conforming and did not require any Zoning Hearing Board relief. That apparently was not hte case. It led to a flurry of lawsuits ( from taxpayer pockets) and a settlement that gave the developers even more units ultimately than they sought originally, despite it having no requirement to meet the zoning code. Funny how all that works isn't it ?
     In addition, the sidewalks and stormwater remediations the developer would have had to make, were conveniently undertaken by the Township ( again from taxpayer, not developer pockets) just before the final approvals for the project to begin, even though that would have been the responsibility of the developer.

9-12-02 Foxcroft presented a request to build twin apartment buildings in PB zoned area .
8-27-02 It went to the Planning Commission 8-27-02
9-3-02 it was reviewed and approved by the Code Enforcement and Land Development Committee .
9-12-02 the Full Board of Commissioners approved it

2003    Jenkintown Borough and then a group of Jenkintown residents, appealed the approval of this application to the Court of Common Pleas. The Borough lawsuit claimed, among other things, zoning officer Mark Penecale had erred when he said it conformed and did not need to go to the Zoning Hearing Board . The Jenkintown Borough appeal was denied by the Court of Common Pleas

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/1844cd03_8-6-04.pdf
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         ......   as was the appeal by the residents ⁴ https://caselaw.findlaw.com/pa-commonwealth-court/1306546.html    after which an appeal was applied for by the Borough in Commonwealth Court.

      The Court denied the appeals and and ordered the issue back to the Zoning Hearing Board to issue a “Permitted Use" Zoning Certificate

       Then, Jenkintown Borough & its residents appealed the issuance of the Permitted Use Certificate. That appeal hearing was held March 17, 2005 before the Abington Township Zoning Hearing Board ....... ( and/or another appeal went to Common Pleas Court, who can keep up at this point - but you get the idea. )

In October of 2009, Abington Township, Jenkintown, and Development Unit Acquisition, LP (successor interest to Foxcroft Square Apartment Associates, L.P.) entered into a settlement agreement whereby the landowner is entitled to land development approval with administrative review only so long as it is "substantially in conformance" with the plan as set forth in the Exhibit to the settlement agreement. That plan proposed 76 units in two four-story buildings. The plan for 76 units complied with the H-1 Unit Classification under the zoning code at that time.
Since the 2009 Settlement Agreement called for administrative review only of the land development plan, despite its failure to comply with the Abington Zoning Ordinance or the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO), so long as it "substantially" conforms to the plan attached to the 2009 Agreement, the public will be denied their proper input in the matter. All was decided in court.......... But we are lost as to how the change was made to 104 units from 76 units by 2018 or 2020 ....... That seems like a substantial change from the 76 units so some significant part of this timeline must be off.

2018
Drawings of the current 2018 Plan were presented to the Jenkintown Borough Council in October of 2018

THE 2020 PROPOSAL

The Preliminary/Final Land Development Plan proposed at the Planning Commission January 28, 2020 consisted of one building with 104 units.The height of the proposed building is lower than that in the original plan, and the building layout will cover less square footage than the previous plan. Of note, a 76-unit apartment project complied with the zoning ordinance applicable at the time of the settlement agreement in 2009, but would not meet the current zoning ordinance.

But........ not only will there be no further public review, but we have been unable to find any cogent process or explanation on the website that documents this whole muddled history --- despite 15 years of asking for a "single page per project" so that we, the public, can access that information and do our proper due diligence overseeing those we elect, in order to determine if they should be re-elected.

2021
   SIGN VARIANCE REQUESTED
   At the Zoning Hearing Board on July 20, 2021, Galman applied for a variance to put many signs on the Business District properties, including "streetscape banners" around the proposed future Foxcroft building, and presumably to include it in the monument signs that were requested. For the Foxcroft Business District as a whole ( which includes the Applebees/Acme area - the Pavillion & Bridge properties, the Plaza, etc.) they proposed a total 42 (yes- FOURTY-TWO ) "streetscape banners" - the kind of banners that hang from lamp poles throughout town and generally are used as "destination markers" that might say, for instance, "Roslyn Valley". These Banners, however contain different messages and would encourage the drivers to "read" rather than pay attention to their driving... and appear to allow various types of "advertising" that would be a detriment to safety rather than helpful in "way- finding" or building identification. The issue was cancelled in July ( with no reason or notice given to the public on the website) but it will be back in September.

   By the way, there is no hardship that would warrant an expansion to the garrish signs that were proposed in this application before the Zoning Hearing Board.

   You're Welcome said the taxpayers ( OK. Not really ) But all the exorbitant costs of the Abington- Jenkintown Connections street / sidewalk/ stormwater/sewer work, theoretically to fix long time stormwater problems had a GREAT deal to do with alleviating the responsibilities of the landowner who would otherwise have to have made the appropriate accommodations for his new impervious surface, which would have caused MORE flooding. Can’t have wealthy developers paying for the problems they create (even though the law requires them to ) . And so you see how the 1% came to own 49% of the wealth in America... ( chapter 3 in the "How Millionaires Become Billionaires or Trillionaires" manual). We should at least inquire whether their specific sewer extensions for the upcoming connections were all wrapped up in the Abington-Jenkintown Connections costs. I mean… who would know ? And that would be the right time to do them, wouldn’t it – before any sidewalks were poured – (you know, the sidewalk HE/THEY would have had to provide on HIS /THEIR parcel when they developed it ……. but that we just neatly arranged to do for them out of the goodness of our Manager and Commissioners' hearts). Heck- how nice can you get. Of course, that might have been just the money we needed to finish removing weeds and to replant the Boyscout preserve and to care for our other parks.....   oh well.

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 them.

Also note in the photograph how he last of the greenspace - the ONLY greenspace actually - is allowed to go to make a profit for the developer - while we paid to have the stormwater modifications to make it buildable.

FoxcroftSquare

Jenkintown Flats is renamed " The Flats at the Pavilion Town Center"

11-17-21 The Galman Group launches town center transformation

https://glensidelocal.com/the-galman-group-launches-town-center-rtansformation/

Jenkintown-based real estate developer and property management company, the Galman Group, has begun transforming The Pavilion complex at 261 Old York Road into what they are calling the Pavilion Town Center. The project will be a mixed-use walkable village that blends residential living with commercial sites.

You may have already noticed the rebranding and updates to the site, which include the recent addition of a 26-foot by 144-foot mural on the Acme building facing Old York Road, multiple sculptures and new signage under the theme, “Life Happens Here.”

The Pavilion, a commercial property with 330,000 SF of medical and office space alongside locally owned retailers like Nicole Bridal, Daily Grind, Diane Glynn Jewelry, Stupp Furs, L’Etoile and Heaven Spa, will be the heart of the new Pavilion Town Center. Joining the commercial site is a brand new 130,000 square-foot luxury apartment building, The Flats at the Pavilion Town Center (The Flats), which will be developed on the north end of the property.

Upon completion, the residential portion will contain 104 rental units: 14 two-bedroom townhomes, 34 two-bedroom apartments, 50 one-bedroom apartments, and 6 studios. While the townhomes will have a patio, the majority of the one and two- bedroom apartments will feature a balcony or terrace. There will be a covered outdoor patio, fitness center, yoga studio and a game room.