Plymouth Twp. Adopts Comprehensive Plan

Following more than two years of planning, meetings, discussion, surveys, workshops and an open house, the Plymouth Township Council on Monday night unanimously adopted its 216-page comprehensive plan.

Montgomery County Planning Commission Community Planner Marley Bice wrote Plymouth2040 with input from Plymouth Township staff, elected officials, residents and a steering committee. The document is an update of the last comprehensive plan, which was undertaken in 1990.

Municipalities generally review plans every 10 years, Bice said.

“The comprehensive plan is essentially a guide for future development,” Plymouth Township Council Vice Chairman Chris Manero said. “It does address virtually every aspect … of the township.”

Plymouth2040 - which covers a wide-range of topics, including sustainability, job growth projections, the need for additional housing and land development trends - is consistent with Montco2040 and neighboring municipalities’ comprehensive plans.

Forecasts provided by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission estimate an increase in the township population by 12.9 percent, or 2,281 individuals by the year 2045. Based on that projection, 1,410 new housing units would need to be built by 2045.

The comprehensive plan highlights four focus areas throughout the 8.4-square-mile town: Riverfront; Plymouth Meeting Mall; Germantown Pike corridor; and Ridge Pike corridor. The areas were selected because each is a “distinct transportation corridor and/or economic development area within the township,” according to the plan.

In terms of the mall, Plymouth2040 recommends upgraded crosswalks and intersections and an improved connection between the Plymouth Meeting Mall and the office buildings to the north at the intersection of Hickory and Fountain roads. The plan also calls for Germantown Pike frontage enhancements in order to improve the connection and potential for walkability.

The riverfront study area is located entirely in the Schuylkill River watershed. Recommendations for this focus area include the possibility of a transit-oriented development, which groups residential, retail and office space around a transit stop. The plan also suggests improving connections to the trails and river, attracting retail businesses and reducing truck traffic.

Germantown Pike corridor recommendations include the installation of high-visibility crosswalks on all four sides of the intersection of Walton Road and Germantown Pike, thereby increasing pedestrian access to nearby SEPTA bus stops and connecting the Greater Plymouth Community Center and park to the multi-family development on the south side of Germantown Pike.

For the Ridge Pike corridor, which is in the Schuylkill River watershed, Plymouth2040 calls for

additional greenery, improved pavement surface and access controls to alleviate left turn congestion.

To learn more

The entire plan is available for viewing online at https://www.plymouthtownship.org/. Simply click the link for Plymouth2040 Comprehensive Plan. Hard copies of the plan are also available for review at the Plymouth Township municipal building and Greater Plymouth Community Center.