New Townhouses Proposed On Easton Road In Warrington

WARRINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA ? To settle several outstanding zoning hearing board cases, a developer is dropping plans to build a restaurant at 771 and 807 Easton Road and instead will be looking for township approvals to redevelop the properties with 32 townhouses.

The property is located off of Valley Square Boulevard next to the Crestwald subdivision in the township?s Central Business District.

At the Dec. 12 meeting of the board of supervisors, land use attorney Robert Gundlach Jr. unveiled the latest plans for the two parcels and for a third parcel on Oakfield Road at Valley Square Boulevard.

Gundlach put forward a plan to redevelop the Knight track and the Reichle tract at 771 and 807 Easton Road with 32 townhouses that would front on Easton Road.

This shows the layout of the proposed new townhouse community fronting on Easton Road at Valley Square Boulevard (right).

?Everyone has acknowledged that those parcels need to be redeveloped,? said Gundlach. ?They need to be cleaned up. We need sidewalks. We need street trees. We need architecturally attractive buildings. And we need uses that generate low traffic.?

The proposed townhome development would provide a connection to the neighboring Crestwald subdivision to allow residents from Crestwald access to Valley Square Boulevard without having to drive out onto Easton Road.

?From an architectural standpoint we worked with the planning commission and they are supportive of a farmhouse-type of look,? said Gundlach. ?They would front on Easton Road with parking in the back. There would be street trees, plantings and sidewalks.?

A rendering showing the proposed townhouses.

The townhomes are projected to sell for $600,000 or more.

A third parcel at Oakfield and Valley Square Boulevard is now being proposed for a free standing bank with drive-through lanes. Original plans had called for the construction of a Panera Bread restaurant at the site. That plan was subsequently rejected by the township?s zoning hearing board over traffic concerns.

Since then, Panera has opted to stay at Valley Square where it will potentially relocate to a new site, said Gundlach.

The bank is looking to relocate from an existing site in the township to a brand new, free standing building. While the use is by-right, it would require conditional use approval from the board of supervisors, said Gundlach. It would also require architectural approval from the township.

?To settle outstanding zoning hearing board cases, the applicant is proposing to withdraw its pending applications to propose this bank use,? said Gundlach.

?Banks generate very little traffic and they don?t create a lot of issues for surrounding neighbors,? said Gundlach. ?There are no early morning deliveries. There?s no trash dumpsters. You get very little activity.. We think it?s a good fit at this location with abuts up against residential and certainly the applicant would agree to the same buffering and plantings.?

According to Gundlach, the development will generate significant transfer and EIT taxes for the township in addition to real estate taxes based upon assessed values close to the sale prices. "There is good tax benefits for the township," he said.