Stormwater and Wetland Issues Raised in Limerick

Resident Matt Lewis addresses the Limerick Supervisors Tuesday night.

Two development projects on last month's Limerick Supervisors meeting made a repeat appearance Tuesday night.

The first was the continuation of the conditional use hearing for a proposal build a two-story, 30,000-square-foot assisted living senior facility on 8.5 acres at 545 Lewis Road.

And although the continued hearing had to do with a traffic study, that part of the action was taken care of quickly when the township's traffic engineer confirmed what the developer's lawyer had told the supervisors last month, that issues raised about the study's findings have been addressed.

Rather, what took up most of the hearing was concerns raised by residents of the neighboring Aronomink subdivision concerned, primarily about stormwater.

The draft site plan for the Senior Living project.

Gaurav Gupta of Navajo Drive said he had just finished his basement and he is worried construction of the assisted living facility located behind the Wawa at the intersection with Linfield Road could create a crack and allow his basement to be flooded.

Matt Lewis, also a resident of Navajo Drive, showed the supervisors photos of a storm on March 24 that dropped 12.4 inches of rain, which "barely registers as a storm event," he said.

Nevertheless, his photos, which could not be seen by the audience, purported to show stormwater from the undeveloped site where the senior housing project is planned, having an impact on homes in the Aronomink subdivision.

He noted the developers had said the project will have an underground retention tank to improve stormwater flow, but was shut down after the lawyer for the developer said stormwater is a subject for the land development process, not a conditional use hearing.

Robert Vogt of Cherokee Circle, who said he dealt with stormwater issues for decades, got the same answer when he said the current stormwater plan would be "burdensome" on existing properties.

He was told a formal stormwater plan has not yet been submitted to the township, despite some of the details being mentioned in the  hearing last month.

The board adjourned the hearing without taking a vote. Township Solicitor Mike McGrory told the supervisors they legally have 45 days to make a decision.

Photo by Evan Brandt

The large mound of dirt seen from the entrance to Costco off Evergreen Road, is the site of a development proposal that would require moving existing wetlands and creating new ones.

Man-made Wetlands

The supervisors split on a vote related to the proposed development on Evergreen Road across from the Costco and Chick-fil-a, known to many as the home of the big mound of dirt.

The current proposal, which will go before the zoning hearing board later this month, calls for only 38,000 square feet of commercial space and 273 units of one- and two-bed housing in 21 separate buildings.

It was presented informally to the supervisors last month.

Called Sanatoga Springs Phase II, a 2011 plan called for 244,000 square feet of commercial space and 300 residential units.

The plan was revised in 2014 calling for 260,000 square feet of commercial space, but that project was never built either.

The plan also calls "moving" some wetlands and an intermittent stream on the site to another location and the creation of "higher quality wetlands," Campbell said.

This mound of dirt has remained untouched for years.

That particular characterization of manmade wetlands being of higher quality was disputed by Amy Walker, who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2019 and who sent in a detailed public comment about the wetland issue.

Walker, who has experience in wetland matters, said man-made wetlands are usually inferior for several reasons -- they rely more on stormwater than groundwater, "and so often go dry," and that manmade wetland soils are often more compact than natural wetland soils, and so wetland plants needed to make the system work often have a harder time surviving.

She urged the supervisors to oppose the zoning variance being sought by the developers, which three of them voted to do. The three who voted to send Township Solicitor Mike McGrory to the zoning hearing to speak against the proposal were Supervisor Patreick Morroney, Ken Sperring and Vice Chairman Michael McCloskey.

Supervisor Tom Neafcy said "let the zoning board do their job." Board Chairwoman Kara Shuler also voted against sending McGrory to oppose the request.