Farewell to Sgt. Greenwood and Bamboo in Lower

Photo by Evan Brandt

THANKS SGT: Congratulating Lower Pottsgrove Police Sgt. Robert Greenwood, third from left, on his retirement after 34 years of service to the township police department last night were, from left, Township Commissioners Mike McGroarty, Bob Mohollen. Chairman Bruce Foltz, Ray Lopez, Earl Swavely Jr. and Police Chief Mike Foltz.

At right, a parade held in January was organized by area police in honor of Greenwood's retirement.

The township said goodbye one final time Monday night to retiring Lower Pottsgrove Police Sgt. Robert Greenwood.

Greenwood officially retired in December and in January, police gathered for a parade in his honor.

Monday night it was the commissioners' turn. I was going to embed a video here of what Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz had to say, but since YouTube has decided my wish is not their command, I will instead have include this link and suggest you click here if you want to see it.

Sharon Holloway, from the Pottstown Regional Public Library board

of trustees, invites the commissioners to take a tour of the library.

Several other things of note happened at last night's meeting, which was only 50 minutes long.

Sanatoga Green

Bursich Engineer Chad Camburn reported that the plans for the sewer system at the 500-plus unit Sanatoga Green project was approved and submitted to the state.

"We anticipate PA DEP will reply with comments based on the extremely wet 2018 and its impact on the projected future flows compared to the capacity of the sewer system," Camburn wrote in his report to the commissioners.

He also reported that 32 of the 59 lots in the first phase of the Spring Valley Farms subdivision off Pleasantview Road have been approved and the water, sanitary and stormwater sewer systems for phase 2 have been installed.

2148 E. High St. in Sanatoga.

Self Storage Units

His firm is also reviewing plans for between 177 and 300 self-storage units along North Charlotte Street between Orlando and Mauger's Mill Road.

Another self-storage project, a new $3 million facility at 2148 E. High St., the site of several former car dealerships, is now seeking zoning relief and the commissioners Monday approved a list of 13 conditions Township Manager Ed Wagner will bring to the zoning board and ask for them to be imposed on any approval granted.

Wagner and Camburn also reported that the two phases of the planned improvements at the busy and popular Gerald Richards Park have finally been approved by the Montgomery County Conservation District.

"Finally, after 18 months," said Wagner, who added that the entire approval process was "ridiculous and over-the-top."

Police Report

Police Chief Mike Foltz reported that the department answered 944 calls for service in February, 12 fewer than last February. There were 124 criinal investigations, 28 adults arrewsted and 11 juveniles handled.

He also said police are planning on stepping up enforcement on Lynn Drive, between Cindy Drive and North Adams Street after several residents complained and two accidents occurred there. Pottsgrove High School students who park there will be notified in advance of the enforcement, he said.

There were five arrests at the high school in February, one each for criminal mischief, theft of a laptop computer, a student with a vaping device and a drug violation. the school resource officer also investigated a report of a student with a knife at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School.

New Township Building

The next step in the township's slow-motion decision toward building a new township complex at the corner of East High Street and South Pleasantview Road occurred last night.

The board awarded a bid for the demolition of homes on the parcels the township has purchased. BRB Contractors of King of Prussia will be paid $69,900 to knock the buildings down and cart away the debris.

The Old Bamboo

Bamboo is an invasive species known for speedy growth.

The commissioners also embarked on an unexpected discussion of dealing with bamboo.

Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. provided the commissioners with three examples of ordinances from other townships aimed at controlling or even banning bamboo.

"It's an invasive species and it spreads quickly above ground and below ground," Garner said.

Garner said most ordinances he found allow bamboo where it has already been planted, but prohibits new plantings unless they are contained, say in a pot, where they cannot spread.

"It spreads very quickly and can be very difficult to contain," he said.

This didn't seem to come as a shock to Chairman Bruce Foltz, who said he was aware of one property where it had been planted and subsequently spread to 10 other properties.

The board took no action on a bamboo ordinance, but seem inclined to consider one in the future.

And with that, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

Goodbye Greenwood and the Old Bamboo

Lower Pottsgrove OKs 1st Phase of Sanatoga Green

An early rendition of the Sanatoga Green plan.

With little fanfare and no comment, the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to approve the first phase of a $146 million project which, when finished, will construct nearly 500 housing units near the Limerick outlets.

The first phase, which is what was approved Monday night, calls for the construction of 147 town homes. The final site plan for this phase was recommended by the township planning commission in October, said Township Manager Ed Wagner.

A rendering of the town homes planned for Sanatoga Green.

Construction is set to begin in the spring.

Located on a total of 57 acres, the project calls for the construction of 490 housing units comprised of the approved 147 town homes; 343 apartments in 17 buildings; a 50,000 square foot medical office building and a 108-room hotel.

The site is located off Evergreen Road, near the entrance to the Costco and Philadelphia Premium Outlets, both of which are in Limerick Township. 

The project was first envisioned in 2014, when the township commissioners agreed to change the zoning to “gateway mixed use” at the suggestion of the developers, Castle Caldecott, LLC.

The project won preliminary site plan approval from the township commissioners in July, 2017.

Commercial Comes Next

Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. said a clause remains in place that requires the commercial phases of the project to be built next, before the apartments, otherwise the developers can be subject to a penalty of $375,000.

A rendering of the medical office building proposed for
Sanatoga Green.

The commissioners had previously expressed concern that if all the housing were built first, the commercial properties might never get built.

That would be of gravest concern to the Pottsgrove School District, which benefits from tax revenues from commercial properties because they do not add to the district's enrollment. Residential development, on the other hand, does.

Last year, Pottsgrove School District Business Manager David Nester shared the results of a demographic study that forecast the district could see growth of as much as 3,700 more students in the next 10 years.

However, the scenario the consultant hired by the board in November considers the most likely is an 8-percent increase in the next 10 years, which works out to 262 additional children.

Nester said the buildings most likely to see the greatest impact under this scenario are Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School (53 more students) and Pottsgrove Middle School, which would see 109 more.

The primary drivers behind this forecast are the residential units in Sanatoga Green, the Spring Valley Farms project now under construction at Pleasantview and Bliem roads — both in Lower Pottsgrove — and the 58-unit rental development off Moyer Road in Upper Pottsgrove.

“We’ve never had his kind of influx of housing before. These numbers are conservative, and frankly they’re still twice what developers said,” Nester told the board last year.

Tax Windfall?

But Castle Caldecott's analysis predicted the Sanatoga Green project will generate only 58 additional students for the school district and will be a tax windfall.

Estimated to generate just over $3 million in additional tax revenue for the school district, a 2016 analysis done for the developers, estimated $1.1 million in costs to the district.

That leaves Pottsgrove Schools $2.6 million on the positive side when Sanatoga Green is completed, according to the analysis.

As for the township, which has a much lower millage rate, the total revenues would rise by $627,159, minus $385,400 in costs for township services — again, undocumented — leaving a net gain of $241,759.

More Traffic?

The exact impact the project will have on local traffic was not immediately available Monday night.

Plans for a new ramp at the Sanatoga interchange are in the works.

However, more homes usually equals more cars.

As it stands, PennDOT is already moving ahead with upgrades to Route 422's Sanatoga interchange, which is nearby to the project.

The $3 million project will allow traffic driving away from the Philadelphia Outlets and Costco to get onto westbound Route 422 without having to cross opposing traffic on Evergreen Road as it does now

The project is expected to take most of 2019 to construct and is not likely to be ready for use until 2020.

Sewer Impacts

Sanatoga Green will generate 78,000 gallons of wastewater per day. It will be pumped to the Pottstown Wastewater Treatment Plant with the help of $500,000 worth of improvements to a township pump station.

The state, concerned about the amount of stormwater and groundwater infiltrating Lower Pottsgrove’s sewer system, approved the additional flow after the township increased its efforts to stem that infiltration from $175,000 per year to $435,000, said Wagner.

No Tax Hike

In other business, the commissioners also voted unanimously to advertise the 2019 budget which calls for a 1 percent increase in spending, but no tax hike.

Wagner said the 2019 budget is $6,366,989, which is only $35,059 more than the current budget.

However, the budget nevertheless calls for using $328,749 of reserve funds to balance the budget and avoid the tax hike.

He said during the budget process more than $400,000 in spending was cut from the 2019 budget draft to get it to this point.

Sewer fees remain $136 per quarter, as they have been since 2014, Wagner said.

The commissioners are expected to adopt the final budget at the Dec. 20 meeting.

Police News

District Judge Maurice Saylor, in robe, administers the oath to 

Lower Pottsgrove's newest police officer, Aaron Diefenderfer.

The township swore in a new police officer Monday night. His name is Aaron Diefenderfer and he previously worked in Philadelphia, has emergency medical training and is currently pursuing a master's degree, according to Police Chief Mike Foltz.

Another candidate, Michael Tantorno Jr. has also accepted a conditional offer of employment and will be sworn in at a meeting in January.

Foltz also reported that during an intense rainstorm on Nov. 2, one of the department's patrol carts was "overcome by flood water."

Moisture remains trapped in patrol car 88-2 after
it was flooded during 

a Nov. 2 rainstorm.

"I imagine it has quite bit of mildew inside it now," said the chief. An insurance claim has been filed.

Foltz also fielded a complaint made Monday night by a resident of Pebble Beach Drive about residents of the Rolling Hills public housing development creating problems on his street.

"They steal from our cars. When I come home at 2 and 3 in the morning, they're walking down the middle of the street," said Brian Sacks. "I feel like I'm living in the hood."

He asked for a fence to block access, but Foltz said he did not think that would work because there is a fence between Rolling Hills and neighboring Walnut Ridge development and "it keeps getting torn down."

And with that, here are the Tweets from the meeting:

1st Phase of Sanatoga Green Approved

Rupert Road Bridge to Close for Replacement July 23

Photo by Evan Brandt

The Rupert Road bridge in Lower Pottsgrove, built in 1921, is seriously deteriorating and will be removed and replaced starting on July 23.

The Rupert Road bridge along the eastern border of Lower Pottsgrove Township, will be closed for 120 days starting July 23, according to a pending announcement from township officials.

Built in 1921, the crumbling concrete structure has been on the township's list for replacement for years and will finally be removed.

The township had hoped to get started on the project as soon as school let out "but there were some delays due to the county having trouble getting easement rights on some of the property," said Chad Camburn, township engineer.

"As a result, some of the detour is going to bleed into the school year," he said, a situation officials had hoped to avoid.

Camburn said hopefully the bridge will be finished by October, "but we told the school district not until Thanksgiving just in case we have any problems," he said.

For cars, the detour will have drivers using Pleasantview Road to Pruss Hill Road to get around the bridge.

But trucks and "anything over five tons will have to use Fruitville Road over in Limerick because of all the weight-restricted bridges we have around there," Camburn said.

The final cost will be between $800,000 and $900,000 said Township Engineer Ed Wagner, and the township's share of that cost will be $325,000.

Camburn said some of the township's share was donated by the developer of the Raven's Claw housing project, most of which is in Limerick, but a small portion of which is in Lower Pottsgrove.

Site of the planned Spring Valley Farms clubhouse.

In other news from the commissioners meeting last night, Camburn said after a long absence, the developers from the Sanatoga Green project were back before the planning commission on June 7 and are moving forward with plans, starting with the completion of the sewer plans, called a module, which must be publicly available for review for at least 30 days.

The other major housing project in town, Spring Valley Farms off Bliem Road, will seek a special exception for the construction of a club house for residents of the Spring Valley Farms project, targeted at residents over age 50.

That project is expected to be built in at least three phases.

Commissioners also about the expiration of the "circuit rider" program, which most of us know as the regional recreation coordinator, a post now held by Michael Lane. The program officially expires in August of 2019 and in anticipation of that, township officials throughout the eight-municipality planning area can expect to begin seeing presentations about re-authorizing.

Due to the $162,000 no longer being provided by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the price is expected to rise from about $5,000 a year now to around $8,000 per year for the next term, which ends in 2024.

The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation is putting up 50 percent of the money to keep the program going, and the Schuylkill River Greenway has agreed to continue providing office space, and personnel resources for Lane.

So far, the program has obtained $1.6 million of the $1.9 million in grants it has sought for the six towns that participate, and for Lower Pottsgrove that includes a $362,000 grant for improvements to Gerald Richards Park, said Lane.

That sounds like a pretty good return on investment to me.

Here are the Tweets from the meeting

Rupert Road Bridge's Time Has Come

Lower Pottsgrove Pondering 7.4% Tax Hike for 2018

Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners Thursday night approved a tentative $6.4 million 2018 budget that would raise taxes by 7.4 percent if adopted next month without change.

The tentative budget's $6,3267,371 in spending represents a 2.4 percent increase in spending over the 2017 amount of $6,175,765.

But the tax increase can be attributed to one single item, the commissioners' desire to create a capital reserve fund, a saving account for major projects, said Township Manager Ed Wagner.

The .25 millage increase is dedicated entirely to that fund, he said.

According to Montgomery County's list of all millage rates, Lower Pottsgrove's is currently 3.368 mills. So a .25 millage increase for the capital reserve tax brings the total to 3.618 mills, or an increase of 7.42 percent.

Wagner said  there has been no major project in the past year that has brought this need to the front of the commissioners' table. "We're just trying to be prudent and plan ahead," he said.

For the average property owner, whose assessment is $125,000, it means an increase of $31.25 on the 2018 property tax bill.

The commissioners voted unanimously to advertise the budget and make it available to the public for a minimum of 30 days. Final adoption does not take place until December.

The blue area is currently Pennsylvania American Water's

franchise area. The tan area shows the proposed expansion

In other matters, the commissioners also approved a letter of support for the expansion of Pennsylvania American Water's franchise area into the township to provide water for the massive Sanatoga Green project of more than 500 housing units, a medical facility and, possibly, a hotel.

When pressure tests were done, it became evident that the Pottstown Borough Authority system could not provide enough water pressure to- run sprinkler systems and meet other water needs.

The commissioners did not have the final word. That rests with the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission, a process which could take some time, said Sanatoga Green developer Ted Draushcak

2018 Rate Hikes Unlikely for Sewer, Water Users

There were plenty of interesting things that happened in the hour-long Pottstown Borough Authority meeting last night.

For example, we learned that street paving from water and sewer pipe replacement projects is continuing apace ....

We learned that despite a policy that calls for re-paving curb to curb, the borough authority projects do not always follow policy ...

And we learned that the $3.2 million project to replace the sludge dryer at the sewer treatment plant is starting to bog down before it starts ....

But let's face it folks, what you really want to know is that neither the water nor sewer budgets for 2018 submitted to the board call for any rate hikes.

The authority or borough council could always add to these budgets, but given the mid-year tax hike for water rates and the threat of a 23 percent property tax hike in the borough, I would put my money on no increase.

And with that, I know, many of you will stop reading.

Thanks for stopping by.

For those of you still with us, you might be interested to know that the start of construction on the Spring Valley Farms development at Bleim and Pleasantview roads will finally put into use a water tank built ten years ago but never used.

You might also be interested to know that the Pottstown water system may not be able to supply water to the massive Sanatoga Green commercial/residential development near the Limerick Outlets.

See what fun comes from reading ALL of the Digital Notebook every day? You're a better-informed citizen.

Get even more informed by reading the Tweets from the meeting and subscribing to The Mercury!

$375K Pledge Wins Sanatoga Green Preliminary OK

An early version of the site plan which received
preliminary approval last night from the commissioners.

With a 4-1 vote by the Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners, the $146 million proposal to build 500 homes and apartments, a hotel and large medical building near the Limerick outlets took an important step forward Thursday night.

Sanatoga Green, as the project is called, proposes a 60,000 square-foot medical building, a 108-room hotel, 17 multi-family apartment buildings with a total of 343 units and 147 townhomes, all on about 50 acres off Evergreen Road opposite the Costco.

First envisioned in 2014 and carried forward by Castle Caldecott LLC, the project received preliminary site plan approval from the township commissioners last night.

It was not easily won.

The approval was expected two weeks ago, but was delayed due to disagreements over details of the project, and over the township's desire for some kind of guarantee that the commercial elements of the plan would be built as well as the roughly 500 homes that have drawn concern from the Pottsgrove School District.

But a 90-minute meeting Monday between the developers, the township staff and Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz and Vice Chairman Stephen Klotz produced a compromise.

As Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. explained, one of the 38 conditions attached to the approval is an incentive for the developer to move forward with the commercial aspects of the project.

Several months ago, these were the townhouse renderings

presented to the commissioners by Castle Caldecott, LLC

The developers have agreed to put up $375,000 in cash or a line of credit to ensure that after the first, townhouse phase of the project moves forward, that the second residential phase, the apartments, will not begin until building permits have been pulled for either of the two commercial elements of the plan.

Should the developers approach the commissioners about beginning the second residential phase before the commercial, "I imagine there would be some negotiation or the township might obtain the $375,000 by default," Garner said.

"It was not easy to get them to agree to that," said Foltz. "They didn't want to put up any money at all."

Both Foltz and Klotz praised the efforts on all sides.

"I think this shows the township is business friendly," said Klotz, who praised the professionalism if both the developer's staff and the township's.

The developers also presented a rendering of what
the hotel on the site may look like several months ago.

But not everyone was so enthusiastic.

Commissioner Ray Lopez cast the lone dissenting vote.

He said he voted no because of how many people who live in the area where the development is proposed have contacted him and asked him to oppose it.

"They're opposed to it because of the traffic, the zoning changes, the impact on the schools, and they would like to see a different plan, one that has more commercial elements and I agree with them," Lopez said.

However, the tale is not yet fully told.

Having won preliminary site plan approval, Castle Caldecott must now go back to the planning commission and do more work to seek a recommendation for final site plan approval, which can only be granted by the township commissioners.

"They've still got a long way to go," said Klotz.

But you, dear reader, don't have far to go to find the Tweets from the very brief meeting.

500-Unit Sanatoga Green Plan Hits a Speed Bump

The proposal to build a hotel, medical office building and about 500 housing units did not win the preliminary site plan approval the developers were so obviously expecting Thursday night.

Rather, after disagreements surfaced about details and whether limits could be placed on residential developments to guarantee commercial developments could be built, both sides retreated to re-group.

There was a lot of talk -- after all lawyers, engineers and politicians were involved -- but the essential issue comes down to this.

The township commissioners have seen too many "mixed use developments" flounder after the residential portion of the project was built, leaving the schools with more students but no commercial tax base to offset the cost.

So the township wants "phasing," with one of the commercial developments being built after the townhomes, for which the developers already have a contract.

From the developers' standpoint, they don't control the market and don't control which type of partner they secure and when. Limiting the project to a schedule phasing undermines the ability to get the financing to undertake all the site work at the same time, a considerable savings.

Suffice it to say that no compromise was reached Wednesday night, although a few were floated. However, the pending signing of a contract for the 60,000 square-foot medical facility may break the log-jam.

A meeting between the township staff and developers, along with two commissioners, has been scheduled with anticipation that the preliminary approval can be accomplished at the July 20 meeting.

The project calls for 60,000 square-foot medical building, a 108-room hotel, 17 multi-family apartment buildings with a total of 343 units & and 147 townhomes, all on about 50 acres off Evergreen Road opposite the Limerick outlets.

That said, you can read the Tweets if you want the long version, including the catty exchange between Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. and Frank Bartle, the developers' attorney.

Lower Pottsgrove Police Kudos and Sanatoga Green

Photos by Evan Brandt

Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioner Ray Lopez shows one side of the township police commemorative medallion now being presented with police and citizen awards.

Police news was front and center Monday night as the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners gathered for their first meeting of the month.

Police Chief Michael Foltz recognized Sgt. Scott Weidenhammer and his wife Vicki for all they did to ensure that the police department received its re-accreditation.

Lower Pottsgrove is one of about 110 law enforcement agencies out of 1,100 across the state that have achieved accreditation through the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police — Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

First accredited in 2014, the department must meet the 133 standards every three years to remain in good standing and Weidenhammer was in charge of that effort, as well as his other duties.

Commissioners Stephen Klotz and Earl Swavely, left and right,

applaud as Chief Mike Foltz congratulates Sgt. Scott
Weidenhammer 

and his wife Vicki for their work on
the re-accreditation of the police department.

"There are a number of times when he was in here working on that when it was not his shift," said Foltz. He added that when the committee is here for its inspection, if was Weidenhammer and his wife who acted as hosts, with Vicki providing some home cooking as well as other support.

"We are certainly not the biggest department in the state to be accredited, but the fact that we are, and were re-confirmed shows the professionalism of this department," said Commissioner Earl Swavely, himself a former police chief.

"It's not any easier three years later," said Commissioners Vice Chairman Stephen Klotz.

Weidenhammer was presented with a commendation and his wife with a citizens award and both received the commemorative medallion the township had made up for police-related awards.

Next up was Sgt. William James, who wanted to thank the commissioners for the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy, particularly given that only about 1 percent of those who apply are accepted.

Lower Pottsgrove Police Sgt. William James addresses
the township commissioners about the FBI Academy.

During his 10 weeks at the academy, James completed 30 hours of coursework in fitness in law enforcement and 45 hours each in courses including effective writing, public speaking, employment law issues for law enforcement executives, essentials for law enforcement leaders and law enforcement approaches to counter terrorism.

He said the difficulty of the work is the equivalent or a graduate school-level course.

Foltz also detailed a busy April for the department which included a DUI stop that netted several arrests, including a. weapons charge, to a vandalism spree in Rolling Hills and Walnut Ridge housing complexes on Easter weekend, in which one officer was nearly hit with a thrown battery.

In the another item of frequent discussion in the township building, Pottsgrove Schools Business Manager David Nester was on hand to provide the commissioners with the demographic study the district had delivered recently.

It told a much different tale of how many new students two large housing developments on tap in the township -- Sanatoga Green and Spring Valley Farms -- might generate.

The upshot, "the numbers are conservative but about twice what the developer predicted," Nester said.

Pottsgrove Schools Business Manager Dave Nester, right,

outlines the results of the district's latest demographic study.

He was informed by Chad Camburn, one of the township's engineers from Burshich Assoc., that Spring Valley Farms is contemplating changing its plan from two-story family homes to single story ranches marketed toward homeowners over 50, which would reduce the number of children the district would have to accommodate.

"That's much appreciated," Nester replied.

Camburn also said the number of townhomes in the Sanatoga Green project has bee reduced slightly, but that the developers there are pushing very hard to move the process forward.

He said last month he and the township received 12 submissions from Castle Caldecott LLC. "They're being very cooperative, but they're anxious. Hopefully, after they get preliminary approval, they'll take a breath," he said.

Camburn also said that between Sanatoga Green, a commercial property being proposed for the adjacent property, and the development of commercial property adjacent to the Turkey Hill on East High Street, that PennDOT, Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove are ready to back a regional traffic study for the entire Sanatoga Route 422 interchange area.

Look to future reports in The Mercury for more on these items.

In the meantime, here are the ever-lovin' Tweets!

Of Sewer Capacity and Re-Appointment Politics

On the final meeting of 2016, the Pottstown Borough Authority debated how (or if) they should endorse one of their own number for re-appointment, and worried about whether the sewer piping system has enough capacity to accommodate Sanatoga Green in Lower Pottsgrove.

Responding to an outburst from Pottstown Borough Council Vice President Sheryl Miller -- when the question of re-appointing authority member and former councilman Jeff Chomnuk for another fiver years on the authority -- Chairman Tom Carroll tried to demure.

He questioned whether it is his place to recommend re-appointments, forgetting perhaps that it is exactly what the board over which he has presided for the past several years has done.

After some back and forth, Chomnuk reminded him -- with a bit of vinegar in his voice -- that the past two re-appointments were made with a motion to send a letter urging council to re-appoint a member.

Chomnuk knew because he had the minutes of those meetings from the past two years, and because in both occasions, he was the one who made the motion.

With Chomnuk abstaining, the remaining board voted 3-1 to support his re-appointment. Carroll voted no and weathered a bit of a pause at the end of the meeting when he offered his hand to Chomnuk and wished him a Merry Christmas.

We'll see how it all shakes out at the council meeting in January.

Another thing that may need shaking out has to do with the large Sanatoga Green development, and another that may well be proposed right night door.

Although the project's impact on traffic and school enrollments, not to mention property taxes, have all been discussed, one thing absent from most conversations is sewer capacity.

Authority Engineer Tom Weld and Vice Chairman David Renn said they do not feel the potential problems those projects post are adequately understood in Lower Pottsgrove.

The problem is not the capacity of the sewage treatment plant, but Lower Pottsgrove's pumping station on Porter Road.

All sewage from the 500-plus residences, a 100-room hotel and medical office building, would be added to the already full flow through that station. And thanks to infiltration and inflow, the station can get near capacity now when it rains.

The authority voted to send a letter to Lower Pottsgrove outlining their concerns and seeking information on how the township proposes to deal with them.

Other than that, and a absolutely fascinating presentation by local master plumber Aram Ecker on why plastic pipes are as good as cast iron, the meeting was fairly routine.

Here are the Tweets that prove it.

Variances Obtained, Sanatoga Green Presses On

Renderings of some of the buildings proposed for Sanatoga Green.

So I had this plan.

Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners started their meeting at 6 p.m. last night to allow for a presentations and questions and answers about Sanatoga Green, everybody's favorite 500-plus home development project.

I would get most of that, then head over at 7 p.m. to catch the Pottstown School Board meeting.

You know what they say about plans right?

Well Chairman Bruce Foltz decided to get the rest of the meeting over before Sanatoga Green started.

Granted, that only took about 15 minutes, but it was 15 minutes I didn't have to spare.

In that 15 minutes, the board made quick work of adopting a budget, the millage rate, which remains the same, and other important once-a-year stuff.

As it turned out, much the Sanatoga Green portion of what I saw was focused on details like how wide will the roads be? (24 feet).

Will there be street parking? (Only in the apartment section and it will be perpendicular in 18-foot parking places.)

The one new thing we did learn is that at Tuesday's zoning hearing board meeting, which I missed so I could attend my son's very last school Christmas concert, Sanatoga Green obtained all the zoning variances it had sought.

And then I had to dash, so that's what I know and here are the Tweets.

A Deeply Detailed Dive into Sanatoga Green

Photos, such as they are, by Evan Brandt

There was no end to the number of renderings, maps and drawings that developers of the proposed Sanatoga Green development presented to the Lower Pottsgrove Commissioners Monday night.

If you like flood plain maps, drawings, renderings, elevations, engineers, retaining walls, zoning variances and in particular, a lawyer speaking for more than an hour, then you should have joined me at the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners meeting last night.

Variations on the type of townhomes proposed for Sanatoga Green.

Because that meeting had all of the above and more.

At the request of the commissioners, the developers of the Sanatoga Green project, Castle Caldecott LLC, consumed the vast majority of the meeting making a presentation of their plans and proto-plans and answering questions that have been raised in recent weeks by the township.

It was a bit overwhelming, but after all, the commissioners DID ask for it. And they seemed to get through most of it with a level head, asking questions as things went along until finally, Commissioners Chairman Bruce Foltz urged attorney Frank Bartle to "move things along."

One of three styles of apartment buildings proposed for 

the Sanatoga Green development project.

And the developers were not the only ones who spoke to the commissioners about the project last night.

Also present was Pottsgrove Schools Business Manager Dave Nester, who presented the commissioners with the district's dubious regard for the developer's prediction that a project with more than 500 dwelling units would only generate 58 additional children in the schools.

Using existing developments of several types, and the number of children each has sent to the school, Nester expressed the district's concern that the reality could end up being very much more than 58 students.

A drawing of one possible model for the medical
office building proposed for Sanatoga Green.

Piling on to that concern was School Board President Rick Rabinowitz who, speaking as himself and not for the board, said the school board has worked hard to hold taxes down and he is concerned that the potential increase in student population Sanatoga Green would generate could require costly expansions to school buildings.

However Bartle countered that not only had the developers used a nationally recognized model, but that the forecast had been confirmed just last week by none other than the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

Other concerns raised, specifically by Commissioner Ray Lopez, is whether the proposed hotel and medical offices that make Sanatoga Green a "mixed use" development would ever actually get built.

Bartle and Ted Drauschak, a principal in Castle Caldecott, replied there are never any guarantees in the market place, and noted that a medical use might replace the hotel.

"It's all about who commits first," said Bartle.

A photograph of the type of 100-room hotel envisioned for 

Sanatoga Green. Several companies are interested.

But after the developers finished and left the meeting, Township Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. told the commissioners that one way they can seek to force the issue of commercial development is to ask the zoning hearing board -- which will hear several variance requests from the developers on Nov. 15 -- to put conditions on those variances.

One or more of those conditions could be that the commercial portions of the project be built in order for the variances to be granted.

There were a few other things discussed at the meeting.

There is a new three-year contract with J.P. Mascaro -- which can be extended to five years -- that will cost less (yes, LESS) than the current contract.

The commissioners also appointed an auditor, disciplined a police officer for "conduct unbecoming an officer" and voted to put up new signs to try to ease traffic jams on Armand Hammer Boulevbard during rush hour.

You can read all about it in the Tweets below.

Firm Says Expand 422/Sanatoga Interchange Project

A Google map of the Sanatoga Green interchange.

Having successfully obtained a $2.1 million grant to help cover the costs of doing half the work necessary to improve Route 422's Sanatoga interchange, a consulting firm said Thursday night it makes sense to expand the project to do all the work at the same time.

Delta Development Group made the case to the Lower Pottsgrove Township Commissioners, arguing they believe they can convince PennDOT that with Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick townships having collectively contributed nearly $1 million to the cost of the project, that the entire project should be done all at once.

"The iron is right to strike, now is the time," said Delta's Anthony Seitz.

"You guys have stepped up in a big way to do improvements on state roads," Seitz said of the $900,988 being contributed by the two townships.

The total cost of the westbound ramp project is estimated at about $3 million, and the money provided by Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove is the 30 percent match required by the grant.

But it makes sense from a variety of viewpoints, including economies of scale, purchasing and timing, for PennDOT to realize that its best to also improve the eastbound element of the interchange at the same time, said Seitz.

A car makes its way down the westbound ramp onto Route 422.

"The funding for the eastbound ramps is really, at this point I think, a negotiated discussion with PennDOT," he said. "We're talking with them at the highest levels. We have a meeting set up already."

In order to facilitate the continuance of those discussions, the commissioners voted unanimously to join Limerick in a 90-day contract with Delta to continue to advocate on behalf of expanding the project.

Township Manager Ed Wagner said the total cost of the Delta contract is $5,520 per month, but Lower Pottsgrove's full share is $5,000  the rest being paid by Limerick.

At the heart of the issue is the Philadelphia Premium Outlets off Evergeeen and Lightcap roads along Lower Pottsgrove's border. Westbound traffic leaving the outlets must make a left turn across oncoming traffic to get onto Route 422.

That left-turning traffic stacks up on the bridge over the highway and can block eastbound traffic from exiting Route 422 and making the left onto Evergreen Road.

The westbound work is made more necessary by the proposal to build a development on 51 acres on the the north side of Evergreen Road, in Lower Pottsgrove, that includes 508 housing units, a 100-room hotel and office space.

In fact, PennDOT will not allow the project access to Evergreen Road until the westbound portion of the interchange is improved due to the increased traffic Sanatoga Green, as the project is named, would produce.

Ted Drauschak, managing partner of the firm proposing Sanatoga Green --  Castle Caldecott LLC --

The proposed Sanatoga Greeen development superimposed
on an aerial photograph of the 51-acre site.

was at Thursday's meeting and said the improvement of "the westbound ramp is very important to our project and to the community."

He said the township's Act 209 ordinance requires the payment of $1,200 per "P.M. trip" generated by his project, which means Castle Caldecott will be coughing up "roughly $700,000 to go into that fund."

(By the way, that works out to the addition of 583 "P.M. trips" per day, if those figures are accurate.).

Further, Drauschak noted that one of the firm's partners owns the three acres of property on the southwest corner of the intersection where a right-of-way is needed for a new eastbound ramp.

"It's our intention to meet with the joint township committee this week and resolve that issue and hopefully find a way to accommodate the design and provide the land that's necessary for the ramp to be constructed through a mutual arrangement with the joint committee," Drauschak said.

"It's in our best interest to have both ramps constructed and we believe its in the township's best interests and the community's best interests to have both ramps constructed," said Drauschak. "So we intend to make the full contribution to that process."

He said the contribution goes into the Act 209 fund and the use of that money is at the township's discretion. "Hopefully the taxpayers will not be paying for that construction," Draushak said.

This was not the only subject discussed at last night's meeting.

To find out what else happened, check out the Tweets and video below.

Putting the Brakes on Sanatoga Green?

The site plan for the proposed Sanatoga Green project superimposed on an aerial photo of the more than 50 acres of the site.

Whoa.

That one word could be said to sum up the township commissioners feelings Monday night about the proposed Sanatoga Green mixed use development.

Already the recipients of five variances from the township's zoning hearing board, the project that seeks to put 159 town homes; 342 apartments in 17 buildings, as well as a hotel and medical office on 52 acres off Evergreen Road, is now asking for seven more, along with 22 waivers.

In a variety of reports from the engineer, township manager and township solicitor, the township commissioners were showered with a bewildering array of new conditions, developments and exceptions being sought by the developers of the massive project, which has already garnered concern from the school board and regional planning commission.

Township Manager Ed Wagner said during the most recent township planning commission meeting, the developers were already asking for preliminary site plan approvals.

"It's totally unrealistic, I had to stand up to them and push them back," Wagner told the commissioners Monday night.

Chad Camburn, engineer from the township's firm Bursich Engineering, said among the seven variances sought is the first ever to the township's newly adopted federally required flood ordinance governing homes and a 30-foot retaining wall the developers, Castle Caldecott LLC, wants to build on soils identified as being susceptible to flooding.

Other variances included not building sidewalks, planting shade trees and extending Park Road to connect with Evergreen Road, raising concerns by the police chief and several commissioners that it could become a short-cut to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick.

Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. also raised the concern that nothing in the township ordinances will required the developers to build the hotel and medical offices outlined in the plan.

"Right now the housing market is hot," he said, noting that it could be as long as 10 years before the developers decide the market conditions are right to add a hotel and medical offices as outlined in the plan.

He suggested the commissioners begin to take a long look at the project in its entirety, noting the developers were bringing in aspects of the project "piecemeal" and if they don't speak up about the impacts of the entire project now, it may be too late later.

The commissioners agreed with the advice of their professionals and suggested that the developers make a presentation at a future meeting outlining the fullness of their plans and bring along representations of what their buildings will look like.

Look for more coverage in subsequent issues of The Mercury. In the meantime, here are the Tweets from the meeting.

Big Projects Stir Traffic Concerns Among Planners

Photos by Evan Brandt

The Zern Tract, pictured here, calls for 240 town-homes on 28.5 acres split by Minister Creek

Two large development projects near major highways, one in Douglass (Mont.) and the other in Lower Pottsgrove, drew concern from planners Wednesday night.

The projects in question are the long-discussed "Zern's Tract" off Jackson Street in Douglass; and Sanatoga Green off Evergreen Road in Lower Pottsgrove.

Both projects were reviewed by the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee Wednesday and the same concern was raised about both -- traffic.

The Zern's Tract, so named because it includes Zern's Market along Philadelphia Avenue in Gilbertsville, is being developed by the Danny Jake Corp. and calls for 240 closely packed townhomes on 28.5 acres off Jackson Road.

The project includes 7.4 acres of open space along both sides of Minister Creek, but the primary concern is access. At some point in the future, the project would have access not only to Jackson Ropad, but also to a new $8 million to $10 million road called Market Street that is planned for the other side.

But a letter the planners intend to send to the township will suggest the development not be allowed until Market Street is built, even though it is not on property Danny Jake controls.

Sanatoga Green site plan.

Planners also raised concern about the lack of street trees, saying it will detract from the value of the
homes and make the project look "stark."

In Lower Pottsgrove, the massive Sanatoga Green project -- 159 town homes; 342 apartments in 17 buildings, as well as a hotel and medical office on 52 acres off Evergreen Road -- also has potential to create traffic headaches with only access off only road.

That road also carries most traffic off Route 422 to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in neighboring Limerick.

The Sanatoga interchange off Route 422 will need to be upgraded before the project can break ground, but a joint PennDOT grant to Limerick and Lower Pottsgrove has made that project all the more likely.

There again, planners voted to send a letter outlining concerns about traffic.

 Here are the Tweets from the meeting...

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:

Sanatoga Green Clears Zoning Hurdles

The proposed Sanatoga Green development, imposed on an aerial photograph of the 51-acre site off Evergreen Road, near the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick.

The massive 500-plus-unit Sanatoga Green project, which includes office space and a 100-room hotel, quietly cleared another hurdle Tuesday night when it received all five zoning variances being sought.

After a brief executive session Tuesday evening, the three members of the Lower Pottsgrove Zoning Hearing board returned to a meeting room devoid of anyone but a Mercury reporter, a court reporter and the developer and his lawyer, to approve all the variances.

Most of the evidence for the case was presented in May, when testimony from both the developer and residents was heard by the board.

The only matters before the zoning hearing board Tuesday night were the acknowledgement of the re-zoning of a 7-acre parcel along Linfield Road to comply with the Gateway zoning of the rest of the project, and letters indicating that a $100,000 donation had allowed for the withdrawal of a variance from open space requirements.

After a brief discussion of the acceptance of a letter raising concerns about the development -- which the zoning board refused to make a part of the record because it did not deal with zoning matters -- the board went into a five-minute executive session to discuss its final decision.

That decision was to grant all five variances.

The first two are to allow the project to have a 15-foot side yard and back yard rather than the 75-feet required in the zoning ordinance, adopted in 2014.

The three other, perhaps more significant variances, have to do with the number and size of the apartments and townhouses to be allowed.

The first variance allows for the construction of 166 townhomes among the 508 dwelling units. The ordinance would only have allowed 152.

The second variance allows all 166 townhomes to have three bedrooms. The ordinance only allows 50 percent to be three bedrooms.

The final variance is from a requirement that of the 342 apartment units, 137 be studio or one-bedroom apartments. The variance allows none of the apartment units to be smaller than three-bedroom.

Testimony in May had indicated that national builders had informed the developers they will not build units that small because they will not sell.

In a related matter, earlier this month, the township commissioners were informed that a $2.1 million state grant would be applied to expansion of capacity at the westbound side of the Sanatoga interchange on Route 422.

PennDOT would not have allowed occupancy permits for Sanatoga Green without the capacity of that interchange being expanded.

At Thursday night's commissioners meeting, another hearing will be held related to Sanatoga Green. At that hearing, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., the commissioners will consider a "conditional use" request to allow construction on slopes steeper than the ordinance allows.

Here are the Tweets from last night's hearing: