1234 Butler (Fayette) to be Demolished and Replaced with 2 New Homes

Plans are moving forward to allow for the demolition of the single home located at 1234 Butler Pike which will be replaced with 2 new single homes according to testimony during the September 2020 Zoning Board Hearing.

The current owner who has owned the property for 34-years is selling to a Conshohocken based developer in order to make way for the two new homes.

According to the meeting, the current home has fallen into disrepair making salvaging too costly. The project was in front of the board seeking a variance to allow each of the new properties to have a 50' lot width where a 60' lot width is required.

Shown below is a rendering and site plan attached to the Zoning Application.

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Questions from The Board focused on the ability to save the current structure, the size of the new proposed buildings, and the architecture of the proposed new structures.

John Sciotto, a resident of Conshohocken and a representative of the developer (Talarium, LLC) who made the application, stated the two houses will be of a size fitting to the current community and allow for a price point that will match current demand in Conshohocken. Each new home will have a building footprint of 800 sq. ft. All other setbacks will be adhered to.

In our conversation with Sciotto, he stated, "We are excited to bring this project to the town in which we live and to better the community which we love." Sciotto went on to mention he will be partnering with a local craftsman on the interior finishes to bring added character to the project.

There were no public questions or objections and after several rounds of questioning the Zoning Board did grant the request. The project can now head into the next stage of planning.

Join our conversation here.

Proposal Would Bring Amazon to Plymouth, 180+ Jobs and Lots of Vans Coming With Them

Photo Credit: Facebook.com/amazonlogistics

During the September 2020 Plymouth Township Planning Agency Meeting on 09/02/2020 plans were presented to bring a "Logistics Company" with 180 vans who will be in operation 365 days a year to the long-vacant former 7-Up bottling location located at 1103 Ridge Pike. This location has been under development for some time by Malvern based, EKAHN Development.

The presentation was very thorough and covered a master plan for multiple sites which will be combined into a 24-acre campus for Amazon. In short, the old 7-Up bottling facility will be leased to Amazon for warehouse and office space, the current BIMBO bakery location will be demolished to make room for ample parking for Amazon. A new 110,000 sq.ft. cross-dock facility will be constructed on-site for BIMBO. Site work is already underway for the new Bimbo facility and it should open within a year. Finally, the former Shipley Energy location on Industrial Way will also be demolished to allow for vehicular access to Industrial Way.

Photo Credit: EKHAN Development, presentation to Plymouth Township 9/2/2020 with Text added by us.

Here are some items to highlight.

• All vehicular traffic will access the site via Alan Wood Road (Academy Road).

• The Ridge Pike Improvement Project will eliminate the jug handle at Ridge and Alan Wood Road as well as add a traffic light at Industrial Way and Ridge Pike @John Kennedy Ford (Proposed not final)

• A sidewalk will be installed in front of the property in coordination with the Ridge Pike Improvement Project.

• Major improvements will be made regarding stormwater management as there was little to no stormwater management regulated when these buildings were built in the 1950s.

Traffic was a top concern of the Zoning Board, and rightfully so. It was highlighted the 180+ Amazon Vans will come and go on off-peak hours, leaving the site between 10-11a and will return between 7-8p. Now, later in the presentation, they talked about a 2-hour window of leaving and another 2-hour window of coming back to the site (4-hours total). Either way, that is a lot of traffic in such a short time.

Photo Credit: EKHAN Development, presentation to Plymouth Township 9/2/2020 with Text added by us.

Before everyone gets all worked up, consider this - the Amazon trucks are already on our roads, they are here every day and sometimes I will see 3 of them at the same time in my development alone. They will now be launching from a closer location in our township and therefore will cut down on pollution, although most of their vans are already environmentally friendly.

Here are some older pictures of the site from Montgomery County Public Records and the conceptual drawings of 1103 Ridge from EKAHN.

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There is a similar facility in King of Prussia, I do not know if this will be in addition or will replace that facility.

The first step in this process was to approve the request to merge the multiple parcels together into one 24 acre property which won overwhelming approval to proceed to the Zoning Board. The next step is to seek variances from the following Township Codes.

Photo Credit: Plymouth Township Planning Agency Meeting 09/02/2020

Photo Credit: Plymouth Township Planning Agency Meeting 09/02/2020

So, what do you think of the proposal? Are you excited to see an old warehouse get a new lease on life? Are you apprehensive about the amount of concentrated traffic this will bring to the Alan Wood Road area? Share your feedback in our community conversation below.

You can watch the entire proposal here.

You can join our conversation here.

Former JB Dawson Location Comes Down, Makes Way For Future Tenant

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Demolition has started on the former location of (JB) Dawsons. Located at 440 Plymouth Road the building was built in 2002 and has been vacant since the restaurant suddenly closed in 2017. The location was built as part of the national J.B. Dawson's chain and eventually transitioned to just "Dawson's" before closing its doors.

This topic was discussed on June 1, 2020, at Plymouth Council's Workshop where the developer Tornetta Reality confirmed several tenants turned down the site due to its unique architecture. The 6,500 sq. ft. building was built with 2 different foundations and that unique feature makes it cost-prohibitive to convert the building into use for another tenant. Keith Tornetta, who spoke on behalf of the Developer, stated they have lost out on several tenants who preferred to build new and choose the mall over this out parcel, citing Shake Shack and Miller's recent additions to Plymouth Meeting Mall.

Tornetta requested permission to take the 6,500 sq.ft. building down to the ground and replace it with another 6,500 sq.ft. building in the future, this would allow the attraction of a tenant who will appreciate the quick turn around time in building new. There is no guarantee the new building will be a restaurant, it could be an office or other commercial use. There will also be no change in the percentage of previous surfaces. Tornetta did mention there are 128 dedicated parking spots for this building which is well above code, although he did not say it directly his statement leaves the door open for future requests and approvals of an increase in building size.

You can view the property listing here.

Join our conversation here.