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The Abington Citizens Network
where Abington, PA residents can share ideas and join forces to build a better community
 
                OldYork-Mediplex

   NEXT MEETINGS
 12-5-18  Code Committee 7pm  
They are attending this without first attending the Planning Commission-- why .  If that is their right under the law, then how do we get our legislators to change the law - so that we have the Planning results in time for the public to vet them at the Code meeting. Assuming they will ask for a hearing date and request approval to advertize hearing be passed along to the Commissioners.  
12-11
-18  Planning Commission 

12-13-18 Board of Commissioners  - requesting approval to advertize hearing ?


 PROPERTIES INVOLVED   1137-51 Old York Rd. and 1154-56 Eckard Ave. and 1863-65 Guernsey Ave.

 
  VIDEO ALL MEETINGS Ask your commissioner and manager  for this and all related  meetings to be video-taped  & aired for those who can't make it and to place a single page for this issue onto the Township website in a place easily found

  THE NUTS AND BOLTS  
Mediplex Property Group Abington, LLC.”  wants to develop 1863 & 1865 Guernsey Avenue, 1854 & 1856 Eckard Avenue and 1137, 1141, 1145 &1151 Old York Road, 19001 to make approximately 20,000 square feet of medical office space in a new, two-story building . They will seek a special exception in order to operate a Use F-2 Medical Office Building – that is by Special Exception only in Main Street Low Density . They are  appealing the actions of the Zoning Officer in his determination that the proposed plan constitutes a redevelopment as per Section 1911 which says SECTION 1911. REDEVELOPMENT: When an existing building or use, or combination thereof, is nonconforming, and demolition of the building or use is proposed for redevelopment, the existing nonconforming conditions (including nonconforming impervious coverage levels) may not be continued or transferred to the new development proposal.   In the alternative, (ie if the Zoning Hearing Board isn’t going for that deal-io )   they  will seek  a use variance from Section 602, of the Use Matrix to allow parking within the R-4 Residential District.   The properties are zoned Main Street Low and R-4 Residential in  Ward #7  ( Some I understand might be in Ward 10) 
The Zoning Board Hearing
was advertised on July 1st  and will appear  in the papers again on July 8th.  The docs were not posted until 7-2-17  - not much time to understand and  prepare questions for a July 10 meeting with a hearing just a week later the Zoning Hearing Board on July 17 at 7:00 p.m.

 
Letter of introduction from the Developer, Mediplex Property Group: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B48SOIQ31gKDc1g4OThlRS1iQmxtcS1FVmhZZUlZdHMxQ0Vj/view  

Here are the site plans , an overhead view and a rendering
http://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showdocument?id=11722

Here’s where, scrolling down , you will see them state their reasoning for the special exceptions etc
( in essence that  they think the project is appropriate for the area  and an improvement to what is there. )  
http://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showdocument?id=11716

Dimensional Requirements for Main Street Low Density  are on p 60 of 364 her ( numbered 50 on the page itself) http://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showdocument?id=6055

The comprehensive Use Matrix is on p 357 of 364 ( numbered 347 on the page itself)
Medical office use is by Special Exception in Main Street Low Intensity
http://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showdocument?id=6055 

The Proposed sketch plan, aerial view, and preliminary rendering are here
http://mediplexpropertygroup.com/proposed-abington-redevelopment-site.html

Documents and meeting agendas , minutes &  videos can be found here :
http://www.abingtonpa.gov/government/board-of-commissioners/minutes-and-agendas  

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   TIMELINE

6-28-18 Residents were notified

7-10-18  NEIGHBORS MEETING  7 PM

7-17-18  ZONING HEARING BOARD HEARING  7PM  Yes - the applicants's representative actually tried to convince that the development that they were doing on one lot was "undevelopment " ( because they were converting it to parking.....)  A boondoggle  that the Zoning Hearing Board should have called them out on. One Zoning Commissioner did mention it . But only briefly.  They also threatened that if they were not given the zoning they would sue because our zoning  ordinance said 2 different things  and  if the ordinance does that the courts have upheld in favor of applicants. But our zoning ordinance is NOT unclear on that matter. It says that whenever there are such discrepancies, which are bound to happen, the more restrictive should apply.  Our lefgal team should have easily been able to defend this  in favor of the residents ---- if only there had been the will to do so. 

8-9-18 Commissioner Hecker Officially steps down in Ward 10. Thes folks will be without a Commissioner at this most crucial time . And a new Commissioner always takes time to get up to speed and to find their voice.

9-13-18 Commissioner Carswell  is sworn in as new Ward 10 Commissioner 

9-16-18    Zoning Hearing Board Decision. Mediplex Zoning was approved .  The developer used the argument, among others, that other  properties had already been zoned commercial in this residentially zoned  section.  So beware, all,  precedents  DO matter. Now it is even more commercial so the next developer will point that out.  Shame on Commissioner Sanchez for not encouraging his constituents to see the importance of this step. They were instead constantly told - "Land Development is where your issues get addressed. " That wasn't actually true . There will be MORE traffic because they were allowed to build more than they had the rights to build .

10-23-18 Mediplex went before the Planning Commission - but we have yet to learn of anyone that was aware. 
"A presentation by Mediplex property group LLC for the properties located at 1863 and 1865 Guernsey Ave., 1854 and 1856 Eckard Ave., 1141, 1145 and 1151 Old York Rd. in Abington PA.  The applicant proposes a reverse subdivision for the purpose of merging the 8 properties into one.  In addition land development approval is required for the construction of a proposed two story medical office building totaling 20,000 ft.².  The proposed development will have access drives on both Guernsey and Eckard avenues.  The applicant proposes 100 on-site parking stalls, on-site stormwater management, and 20 foot wide residential buffer.  The special exception was granted by the zoning hearing Board of the Township for the medical office use (use F-2) and to allow vehicle parking within a portion of the properties owned within the R-4 residential district.  The balance of the property is zoned within the MainStreet village center District of Ward 7 of the Township of Abington.


10-30 -18 The Mediplex presented its "Economic Benefit " to the Economic development Committee - I only know of one neighbor who was notified of this - even though Commissioner Sanchez took a whole list of attendees at the first neighbors meeting who ask to be kept infomed.
As with the BET project, that meant that the Planning Commission heard only one side of the "economic impact"   - before they voted to approve.  The value of homes AS RESIDENCES  was greatly impacted and the neighborhood became even more commercial with this development - converting residences into commercial property to enable them to build a larger commercial space. 

 

 

 

 

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  We welcome your comments  to share either anonymously or with your name attached with your  fellow Abington residents.   Send  any updated information, comments or questions  to: 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.

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