Condo plan variances granted to dismay of neighbors
The Springfield Zoning Hearing Board green-lighted a block of luxury condominiums on Stenton Avenue Monday, leaving the developer pleased and Erdenheim residents worried about the future of their neighborhood.
The board voted unanimously to grant five variances to 9425 Stenton Ave. LLP, which proposed to demolish the apartment and office building at 9425 Stenton Ave., Erdenheim, along with the carriage house behind it, and to replace them with a single new structure containing 35 apartment-style condominiums.
The proposal also included an underground parking garage.
The board cut the number of allowable condominiums to 30, however. A study presented by the applicants showed the condominiums would generate increased traffic on weekends, and the lower number of units would reduce the traffic flow, board member Edward Fox said.
"I'm in favor of this project," Fox said. "We don't usually get asked to change commercial use to residential use, and I think that's a positive step. I'm not in favor of mixed use."
Residents said they were upset with the vote, however, despite the lower number of units.
Stephen Steinbrook, a resident of Whitemarsh Avenue and spokesman for the opposition, said the decision was "not much of a compromise."
Without the variances, he said, the developer could have built nine single-family homes on the Stenton Avenue site, he said, and the vote signaled to builders that they could triple the residential density in any neighborhood, as long as they eliminated commercial use.
Brian McGlynn, a resident of Gordon Road, said that in his opinion, an underground garage is a commercial structure, and nobody would want to live next to one.
"How am I supposed to sell my house?" he said.
The proposed condominium building will ruin the neighborhood, he said.
The main building on the site currently has 13 efficiency apartments on the upper level and 8,000 square feet of office space on the first floor. Offices also occupy the carriage house. In their testimony, the applicants warned that future tenants could include restaurants or fitness centers that would generate traffic after regular business hours.
Board President Daniel Clifford concurred with the argument and repeated Fox's point about the reversal from commercial to residential use. In most cases, he said, developers ask to expand commercial zoning into residential areas. The application of the 9425 Stenton Ave. LLP was the first to do the opposite in his experience, he said.
Clifford also complimented both the applicants and the residents who oppose the condominium for their civility during an extended public hearing. The participants' behavior could serve as a model for similar disputes in the future, he said.
Dan Helwig, the Flourtown real estate agent who is one of the owners of 9425 Stenton Ave. LLP, said after the hearing he was pleased with both the vote and the statements made by the board members. He declined to comment further.