Steep Slope Building Eyed for Sanatoga Green

Photos by Evan Brandt

Lower Pottsgrove officials, from left, Township Manager Ed Wagner, Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr., Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz and Vice Chairman Stephen Klotz, review plans for Sanatoga Green with project engineer Michael Engle.

An extremely technical hearing on a request by the Sanatoga Green developers to be allowed to build in some steeply sloped areas of their 51 acres captured the board of commissioners attention Thursday, but no decision was forthcoming.

Instead, by the time the attorney and engineer for the project -- which will add more than 500 dwelling units, a 100-room hotel and medical office space to the area off Evergreen Road opposite the Limerick outlets -- had finished, most seemed a little overwhelmed.

And small wonder.

The hour-long hearing include citations of zoning ordinances, ratios, angles and

Evergreen Road resident Donald Woodley

looks over the site plan for Sanatoga Green.

topographic maps.

Instead of providing the expected approval -- the commissioners had few questions (with the exception of vice chairman Stephen Klotz) -- the commissioners took advantage of the law which allows 45 days for a decision to made.

The commissioners accepted the advice of Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr., and postponed a vote until the next meeting on Aug. 18.

The only member of the audience to raise any questions was Evergreen Road resident Donald Woodley who, after the meeting, told the commissioners he is worried about traffic and the ability of fire trucks to get into the development once its built.

Presuming the commissioners approve the conditional use permit on Aug. 18, the entire project must still make its way through the land development process, which involves votes and opportunities for public comment both at planning commission meetings and future meetings of the board of commissioners.

After the hearing, the commissioners continued on to their regular meeting.

The board voted unanimously to appoint Joseph Vecchio to the Zoning Hearing Board, who will replace Rober Molhollen, who was appointed to the board of commissioners last month to replace James Vlahos.

Additionally, the board voted unanimously to award the bid for a new highway department pole barn, next to the current one on Pleasantview Road, for $24,877 to Shirk LLC of East Earl, PA.

The board also approved the settlement of a 2011 assessment challenge for 2129 High St., which also just happens to be the location of the township's engineering firm, Bursich Assoc.

The settlement, already negotiated and approved by the school board, will retroactively reduce the commercial site's assessment from $810,210 to $715,000.

As for the rest, here are the Tweets:

Mixed Use Project Proposed Near Outlets

Photo by Evan Brandt

An aerial photograph of the site for the proposed Sanatoga Green project with parcel lines overlain over the photos.

The Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners Thursday got their first official look at a major project near the Sanatoga Interchange that zoning they created two years ago was designed to encourage.

Called Sanatoga Green, the proposed project would sit on about 50 acres neat the Limerick outlets off Evergreen Road.

It calls for the construction of 508 housing units -- 342 apartments and 166 townhouses, a 100-to 110-room hotel and 60,000 square feet of medical offices.

The developers have access to a large 42-acre parcel, and several smaller ones with frontage on Evergreen, Linfield and Township Line roads, all adding up to roughly 50 acres.

The presentation to the commissioners included some requests for some changes to the new zone, a discussion of how much parking might be needed.

The commissioners held off on making any decisions or taking any official action, citing the fact that they had just hired a new township solicitor -- Charles D. Garner Jr. -- and wanted to run some of the proposals past him before making any decisions.

We'll have more extensive coverage in The Mercury in the next few days.

In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

It's All About the Traffic

So there I was, making my way to the postponed Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners meeting with time to spare.

I stopped, got a slice of pizza, and headed over, only to arrive with the meeting in progress.

Ready to accuse an entire room of people of being part of an organized conspiracy to make me always late, it turns out my watch was five minutes slow.

Sooooo, sorry for any aspersions cast.

As the coming Mercury story will put together more clearly, last night's meeting was interesting primarily for the next phase of the procedure necessary to put traffic impact fees in place.

In the meantime, you will just have to be satisfied with the Tweets.

There Can Be Only One

Photo by Evan Brandt

Ray Lopez, right, was the unanimous choice of the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners who, Monday night, chose him to fill the seat vacated last month by Shawn Watson. Also applying, from left, were Charles Nippert, Justin Valentine, Bob Franciose and Scott Fulmer. 

It was quick and didn't surprise too many people.

Monday night, the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners unanimously chose Ray Lopez, a long-time municipal and emergency services official, as its newest member.

Lopez becomes the third non-elected member on the five member board, but is actually the only one who will not be on the ballot in November.

But you can read all about that here, in the article in today's Mercury.

The drawing outlining the Spring Valley Farm development.

Another big item on the agenda -- to be handled in a subsequent Mercury article -- was the preliminary approval granted for Spring Valley Farms.

It is a project that will located 178 homes on 144 acres off Bliem Road and was made possible by an overlay zoning changed undertaken last year, that attracted a lot of interest from residents of that area.

The primary idea behind the project is that much of the property will remain permanently protected open space in exchange for a higher number of homes clustered more closely together.

Township Solicitor Robert Brant said the project will receive final approval in phases.

The commissioners granted preliminary approval after removing a waiver regarding the placement of street trees.

Check out the Tweets from the meeting.

No Resignation in L. Pottsgrove, But a Call for One

The Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners extracted themselves as much as possible from the Shawn Watson controversy Monday night by voted unanimously to call for his resignation.

They also pointed out they do not have the legal authority to remove him from office or to force him to resign.

For those who have been asleep for the past month, Watson is under fire for, among other things, his failure to pay more $55,000 in back taxes to Pottstown, Pottstown Schools, Pottsgrove Schools, Norristown, Montgomery County and, perhaps most concerning, Lower Pottsgrove Township itself.

During the July 23 meeting, the commissioners did not discuss the revelations -- reported at that point solely by The Mercury -- at all.

(Links to those stories and Monday's editorial calling on Watson to resign, are pasted among the Tweets below.)

But on Monday night, Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz began with an announcement and a motion calling on Watson to resign.

Here is the story I wrote for today's Mercury.

Here is video of Foltz's announcement and motion:


Under public questioning from Joe Zlomek of the Sanatoga Post, Foltz also revealed that he had called Watson that morning in an attempt to convince him to resign and to tell him what the commissioners intended to vote upon.

Foltz also said Watson indicated he has no plans to resign.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting:

More for Pensions and More Shopping

Thursday night's Commissioners meeting was swift but fulsome.

The board heard that its police and non-uniform pensions are less "stressed" than they were, but still not fully funded and will require minimum payments of $211,454 and $154,002 respectively.

The board also unanimously gave preliminary site plan approval to a project to build a new shopping center off High Street, next to the Turkey Hill convenience store at the intersection with Rupert Road.

The developers, the Tornetta family, hope that having preliminary approval will attract tenants whose needs they can quickly adopt and get approved without the usual two-year delay.

Remember to click the blue "Click the Read Next Page" bar to make sure you don't miss a thing.

Spadt Leaves, Vlahos May Replace Him, Pottsgrove High School Project Approved, All In a Night's Work

Photo by Evan Brandt

Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz, right, reads from a plaque of appreciation outlining the 13 years of service by Commissioners Jonathan Spadt, whose resignation was unanimously accepted by the board Monday night.

The Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners accepted the resignation of Jonathan Spadt Monday night after 13 years of service, and hopes to replace him with James Vlahos, a former area Republican leader and former member of Pottstown Borough Council.

At the same meeting, the potential dispute over how much the township would charge the Pottsgrove School District in fees for its $28 million renovation and expansion of Pottsgrove High School appears to have been settled when the township offered to cut its fees in half to $220,000.

You can read about it all, and more, in this Storify of live Tweets from last night's meeting.