The Abington Citizens Network
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(OVER?) DEVELOPMENT  IN ABINGTON AND NEARBY

This summary is in no way comprehensive - - Please send us information that should be here

1)  THE MALL 365 APARTMENTS /Condos AT THE WILLOW GROVE MALL  - ridiculously placed right up against Easton Road so you couldn’t widen the intersection if your life depended on it – and OUR lives do.   11-20

2) THE MALL - UNTOLD BUT VAST NUMBER OF APARTMENTS or condos and/or commercial  that will result  from the zoning text amendment that PREIT via attorney Marc Kaplin wants – from documents submitted  for the 12-10-23 Committee of the Whole.  Please take a look at the Promenade in Willow Grove opposite Lowes on Welsh Rd . That is only 402 units with commercial below and it is a monstrosity …..The Mall could be multiple times this …. 12-20

3) NOBLE TOWN CENTER   UNTOLD BUT VAST NUMBER OF APARTMENTS or condos and/or commercial would become available with the apparent imminent purchase of this huge prperty where Stinmarts and Bed Bath and Beyond and Pet Smart and Ross's and Walreens and others have been .Four buyers currently are considering it per conversation at 2-11-21  approval meeting for the Baederwood 244 Apts (or the 2-3-21 Land Use Meeting before it)  - so.... coming (soon?)

4) BAEDERWOOD  244 RENTAL APARTMENTS – APPROVED on 2-11-21 even though it did not meet the fire codes and has one whole side inaccessible to any emergency vehicles. This is behind the Baederwood Shopping Center.  This was originally zoned for 8 single family homes. begun 2006/approved 2-21

5) FOXCROFT / GREENWOOD AVE  104 APARTMENTS  next to the Fox Pavillion ……….  All their flood remediation and road improvements have been borne by the taxpayers in the Abington Jenkintown connections project. There was funny business on the part of Abington employees that actually enabled  the zoning approval in the first place.  2020 (zoning started many years earlier )

6) OLD YORK AND SUSQUEHANNA - UNTOLD BUT VAST NUMBER OF MIXED USE  APARTMENTS AND COMMERCIAL – Some properties already bought by the County Redevelopment Authority and, on 9-22-20,  without notification to the property owners or to the surrounding neighbors,  they attempted to  certify certain of the properties they wanted as blighted. These properties were not blighted and all were functioning businesses – but they were wanted to make a developer a nice little package to improve his bottom line. Eminent domain is being considered for one.  The call here by the Township is for far denser development and taller development and more residential units. All 3 are very unpopular with residents.Why would  our Township elected officials work in opposition to the wishes of the community and their vision.   In order  to “gift “ the developer more, the road improvements were  made to be minimal.  There is no developer forcing the Township’s hand here. It gives you a real clue what you’d be in for if you allow them to form their own Economic Development Corporation and use your grant money to act on each of their own wishes. The development includes a  bus stop in  the highest crash intersection in Abington – which seems the increased density at that intersection will  undoubtedly create more safety concerns than are solved by the slight fixes to the road.  

7) MANOR COLLEGE AND PENN STATE - Rezoning for expansion  -  Penn State is in the process of rezoning its campus and the overall zoning is intended to include Manor College, too. They are trying to keep everyone’s attention focused on the beautiful new Academic building that the new zoning will permit,  and not on all the other things that could result and become a “use by right”… in other words no more input by residents would be necessary.  Manor College area residents have not been included at any of Penn States meetings. 

8) MANOR WOODS  PARK  ACROSS FROM THE ALVERTHORPE PARK ENTRANCE was funded to the tune of $100K in the 2020  budget to move forward  on their plan---- but they won’t say which plan of the 2 that were options.  One was for a “park”  with trails but one included  a football field.  No clarity on which option was being put forth has been offered. Let me know if you hear

9) RYDAL WATERS    85 UNITS  where 45 would have been . The 2017 rollout came after years of zoning and land use issues. As of 2020 (?) finished and  (still filling up?)  The project's 85 carriage homes (twins) $75 million expansion behind Rydal Park. Land maneuvers  began in the early to mid 2000’s - another company first bought the land, clear cut it removing 45 acres of largely forested lands and causing floodin already below , rezoned it, and then went bankrupt at which time it was sold back to Rydal Parks’ parent company Presby Inspired Life. Besides the 85 cottages…. a clubhouse with fitness center, multipurpose space, cocktail lounge, heated swimming pool, fire pit, dog park, walking trails and outdoor grilling areas.

10)  114 UNITS- RYDAL PARK  added 114 units – their total units at 546 include 307 independent living apartments – as well as anoter 200 or so assisted living “personal care” & skilled nursing or rehabilitation  care. on a 20-acre campus.

11)  LIONSGATE -- 402 STUDENTS  in 98 apartment style dorms– Completed & opened July 2017  402-bed apartment style residence hall 

12)  COMMERCIAL:   WAWA  AT ROSLYN THRIFTWAY – to be decided in court. They were last arguing , essentially, over whether the alley in the rear is a street or not…. Updates appreciated

13) COMMERCIAL:   MEDIPLEX   on york between Eckard and Guernsey  20,000 sf of office space . This is good but built too close to the road to allow for what will be much needed expansions . More residential units create problems when job seekers so greatly outnumber jobs. Here there are jobs created.    

14) COMMERCE     CHOP  Medical Building  at Old  York & Susquehanna (Former YMCA) . Underway or near completetion. This creates jobs . But the rezoning of the property which added a text amendment . It amended the zoning to add deep residential density on similar properties and then it put on the  CHOP facility which was no longer required to have any input by residents, even though the residents had never seen it.

15)  COMMERCE     STORAGE FACILITY ON EASTON RD

16) COMMERCE  :OFFICE SPACE NEAR LA FITNESS

17) THE HORSE FARM NEXT TO MANOR COLLEGE – May be available for development – no firm word yet ..The residential development with 160  units drawn up years ago  (2012 ish or earlier)  to accommodate “future impact planning”  for   water and sewer needs, but it should be noted that it  was  zoned CS  (Community Service ) so there are many more possibilities there .  Because of the acreage, there is concern about other text amendments that give new rights to properties like this for denser development

18)  ST BASIL’S ACROSS FROM MANOR COLLEGE -  St Basil’s will close at the end of the 2020-2021 School year.   Not too many years back there was a rumbling about a housing development behind the school. Now there are rumors (only) that Manor has shown interest  which seems quite logical.  So the  expanded zoning that Penn State is offering to Colleges and universities is something everyone should keep their eye on.  Any information that you can pass along will be welcome.

19) THE NOBLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DISTRICT  The Noble TOD  is planned out and ready to go. They worked on the plans more than a decade ago. (2008)  The  Transit Oriented Districts (TOD’s)  there  encourage dense growth around transportation hubs ie:  the Noble Station.  Citizens were engaged in 2011, inviting public comments. But of course people were uniformed  about the totality of the expansions Township-wide and had no clue what TODs and TRIDs are.  So their comments were meaningless.    A TRID is a Transit Revitalization Investment District, which  requires that all benefits from the revitalization be pumped back into the District  https://www.dvrpc.org/trid/pdf/NobleStationTRIDPlanningStudy_June2013.pdf  

20)  THE KESWICK REVITALIZATION PLAN – unknown scope  of expansion .  Plan was completed July 2012 This plan identifies a number of important strategies that will foster further economic development of the Keswick Village area, including  streetscape enhancements, business and economic development ( you know, higher and denser) , and parking improvements. https://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showpublisheddocument?id=3114  

21) THE ROSLYN REVITALIZATION PLAN – The Wawa at Easton and Woodland is underway  now at the Roslyn Rite Aid site and a Storage facility on Easton Rd.  was just built .  The study began  September 2009 – completed- April 2010. To be eligible for Revitalization Program funding, the 2002 Roslyn Community Revitalization Plan would just need a quick update.  https://www.abingtonpa.gov/home/showpublisheddocument?id=3112

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###### THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION  - Our Commissioners want to have their own "Development Corporation" so they can essentially "become the developers"  while they are also the ones that "oversee" the developers - and grant the zoning approvals for the developers and  inspect the projects that the developers are completing and decide who gets the grant monies available for development and while they retain powers of eminent domain, etc etc etc . Who doesn't recognize what a bad proposition that is....... see separate page on this - where already unfair and   unscrupulous tactics have been used to try to get it approved...... (begun 2019 - they propose to get it passed in 2021 )
https://abingtoncitizens.com/aaISSUES/EconomicDevelopment/TheEconomicDevelopmentCorporation.htm

###### ANY PLACE WITHIN A ½ MILE OF A TRAIN IS AT HIGH RISK  for over development because of the TOD and TRID funds available

##### OUR MANAGER HAS MENTIONED HE WANTS TO REVISIT THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND CHANGE IT AGAIN  I can’t tell you what a bad idea that would be. Our Zoning ordinance served us well  from 1996 until 2017. Our Township at that time was 98% built up according to reports .  Steve Kline led a Zoning Rewrite effort that culminated in the  current 2017 Zoning Ordinance, but which gave developers vastly greater rights. Immediately after it was passed, developers began asking to change the text of our ordinance to even further benefit themselves ( at our expense) and the Commissioners have rarely met a developer they didn't want to do MORE business with.

##### ARE THERE MORE IN ABINGTON THAT I DON’T KNOW ABOUT?

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OTHER RECENT  DEVELOPMENT CLOSE BY – HELP ME WITH THIS  
They will all converge on the same Willow Grove Intersections

The Willow Grove Barnes and Noble closed and some or all of that Shopping Center will be redeveloped
The 276 (?) apts. at Davisville and York - not  senior  
The apts. next to NTB behind the legion - not senior  
The Promenade at  Welsh Rd- 402 Units  opposite Lowes  - not  senior   
The almost completed building in Horsham  on Dresher and Witmer - not  senior  

500 acres from Naval Air Base will transfer to the Township in 2021 http://www.hlra.org/
Further down Davisville Rd there is another

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