Vote adds 550 Units to Phoenixville Housing Boom

A rendering of the site plan for French Creek West, which was granted final approval last night by Phoenixville Borough Council after 10 years of discussion.

The 37-acre site between Bridge and High streets that was once part of the mighty Phoenix Iron and Steel plan that gave the borough its name will become the site of 550 housing units as the result of a 5-1 vote of borough council last night.

The Phoenix Iron and Steel Company once stood on the site.

Councilman Richard Kirkner, participating in the meeting by speaker phone, cast the only vote
against a plan called French Creek West.

According to documents posted on the borough website, the plan calls for 164 townhouses, 146 "stacked townhouses," and 240 apartments.

There will also be more than 1,480 parking spaces, according to the plans.

The final site plan approval won last night was first on the council agenda in August, but was tabled after some questions were raised, said Borough Manager E. Jean Krack.

The French Creek West plan seems to call for construction in phases.

The approval motion was made by East Ward Councilwoman Catherine Doherty and seconded by Middle Ward Councilwoman Beth Burckley.

Burckley said Phoenixville is so successful that "people are dying to move here." But she added that it's important to plan carefully to account for housing diversity, and, called this plan "responsible."

Krack said years ago, the site had been proposed for mixed use, the over time, that has evolved into strictly housing.

Burckley is not kidding about housing projects being hot in Phoenixville.

According to the borough website, there are a total of five other projects in various stages of planning in the borough in addition to French Creek West.

Taken together, they would add 1,283 housing units to the roughly four-square-mile borough.

Add in Barclay Gardens, approved last year by council for 125 senior apartments at the site of the former old borough hall at Church and Dean streets, and the number climbs to 1,408.

Add in last night's approval for French Creek West's 550 units and Phoenixville is looking at 1,908 new units of housing.

Here's a quick look at what's going on housing-wise:

Concept plan for Steelworks.

• Steeworks is a mixed use project of 336 apartments of one, two, three and a few four-bedrooms. It has received preliminary site plan approval and is located on 5.7 acres on Bridge Street.
• Hankin is the name of a developer planning 50 "affordable" senior apartments on .9 acres at Buchanan Place. It is still in the early planning stages, according to the website.
• Eland Place has received final approval and calls for 193 units on five acres of land off

  

  Concept plan for Barclay Gardens.

  Kimberton Road. 
• Barclay Gardens received final approval last year and will build 125 senior apartments at the corner of Church and Dean streets.
• Odessa is a complex planned on 14 acres near the intersection of Filmore and Township Line roads. It has received preliminary approval and calls for 500 units: 260 assistant living

  

  Concept plan for Luxor apartments.

  units and 240 apartments.
• Luxor is a plan for 204 units on four acres off Wheatland Street. It is still in the planning stages. 
• French Creek West, approved Tuesday night, calls for 550 units on 37 acres of the former Phoenix Steel site.

Smoking Pot in Public

The other noteworthy action taken by Phoenixville Borough Council last night was to adopt a local law changing the manner in which police deal with the public smoking of marijuana in a public place.

Previously, police who caught someone smoking marijuana in public arrested them, took them to the police station and put them through the court process.

"That takes officers off the street," said Borough Manager E. Jean Krack.

Smoking pot in public can get you a ticket in Phoenixville.

So instead, council changed it to a "non-traffic citation," according to Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr.

Those caught smoking in public with 30 grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish can be fined $25 to $100 for the first offense, said Garner.

Councilman Edwin Soto conducted "a lot of the leg work" in researching this matter said Councilman Rrichard Kirkner before voting on the matter.

Krack said Phoenixville spent a year looking at 20 other municipalities in Pennsylvania with similar laws, including Philadelphia and State College.

"They're pretty consistent across the board," he said.

However, it is not clear how the new ordinance would affect those who take their THC, the psycho-active ingredient in marijuana, through vaping it in liquid form with an electronic device.

"We might have to revisit this and take a look at that," Krack said.

And with that, here are the Tweets from last night's meeting:

More Housing and More Highs