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Upper Dublin Township Commissioners allow conditional uses to make way for 50 assembly worker jobs
The Upper Dublin Township Board of Commissioners opened an August meeting with a conditional use hearing on a property along New Jersey Drive.
Currently, 275 New Jersey Drive is a space largely occupied by school buses. But, as Christen G. Pionzio, legal representation for the client seeking a conditional use for “light industrial use” explained, the buses only take up a large portion of the outdoor space. Pionzio, of Hamburg Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell, and Lupin, PC, said that inside the building is a different story.
“Because the school buses take up all the parking, but little of the building, in fact they only take up 15,000 square feet of the building, the building in total is 58,580 square feet, the majority of the parking is taken up by them,” said Pionzio. “My client also owns, these are related but different entities, the adjacent 270 Commerce Drive.”
The two properties “back up to one another,” with their frontages spilling out into different street addresses, explained Pionzio. One of the properties, owned by “ESD,” she said, makes “the money boxes,” as one might see on appliances in a laundromat. ESD acquired a company called Greenwood, according to Pionzio, which was based in Connecticut prior to the acquisition of “their competition.”
“They’re moving Greenwood here, into 275 New Jersey,” she said. “In so doing, we needed parking for those employees. They figure the max they would have is 50.”
Pionzio said she and her client had already been to the Upper Dublin Zoning Hearing Board to request the additional parking to be a part of the 270 Commerce Drive property, which had “a lot of parking,” according to the legal representation.
“They only use a little bit of parking in the front,” Pionzio explained. “So, we have a lease agreement and a cross-axis agreement allowing the owners occupants of 275 to park on 270.”
The agreement would allow up to 150 cars, giving the occupants plenty of leeway for use. The ZHB had approved the parking necessities, but now the plan would need a conditional use to create a Light Industrial space in the zone. Pionzio said the use inside the facility is “light industrial,” as the boxes are assembled there, but not produced.
“It’s not raw materials,” she said. “It’s assembly. Pieces are brought in, metals are folded, and they make boxes.”
Pionzio added that the organization also had met with the Planning Commission in Upper Dublin, and “had a great discussion,” covering all review letters and proposed conditions were relayed and later refined by the township’s engineers. The five conditions the team agreed to were provided to the supervisors via an “exhibit” in the conditional use hearing.
Such conditions that were agreed upon by the client and the township (via the Planning Commission process) included:
In addition, a condition was added that the cross-access easement agreement (previously noted for employee parking) shall be terminated upon the end of the lease and/or the vacancy of the 275 New Jersey Ave. property by the Upper Dublin School District.
The criteria of a conditional use, the organization’s counsel noted, fit with the township’s zoning ordinance, as it was an assembly facility. Pionzio added that the project would include revitalizing a preexisting structure, not to mention impervious coverage already in place, that would bring more jobs to the office park complex. All of which, Pionzio argued, would meet the townships goals for its residents.
The applicant, Robert Jordan, a project manager with Woodrow & Associates, prepared the plan that was up for discussion. Pionzio testified on his behalf, though he was present at the hearing. He made a note, via the lawyer, that the project involved no changes to the building, no changes to parking, and no changes to driveway entrances or exits.
“This is talking about moving somebody in,” said Pionzio. “We are revitalizing an under-used, vacant building.”
Ward 1 Commissioner Harm J. Scherpbier asked Pionzio how the workers, parking at the Commerce Drive property, would safely get over to the New Jersey Drive property for their daily jobs, especially given the large number of buses coming out of the lot around the same time of day.
“That’s a good question. All of our employees are adults,” said Pionzio. “The bus schedule happens to be very early in the morning, when they move out it is prior to our employees showing up in mass. There is a little staggering from the assembly staff to the office staff.”
She added that, as the properties have the same owner and an existing agreement, they can manage the issue with organizational planning on their own.
Scherpbier asked if a walkway could be constructed between the two lots, preventing a need for driveway crossings by pedestrians, which would avoid the buses.
Pionzio said that, with the door at front left on the building, the entrance is not where “a majority of the buses are.”
“They pull out face forward,” said Pionzio of the buses. “And just like other drivers walking to their buses, they have to be aware of human beings that are walking in the parking lot to that front door.”
Given the location of the entrance and “very minimal walking in front of the buses,” Scherpbier said he was “good with that,” and the commissioners moved on with their questions.
Ward 5 Commissioner Cheryl Knight asked if the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking issues would be addressed, to which the client’s legal representative said they would. Ward 2 Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the board, Meredith L. Ferleger asked why conditions were imposed on the office hours.
Alison Giles, Upper Dublin Township’s zoning officer and planning coordinator, said the hours are often checked in industrial uses to ensure they are not operational 24 hours per day.
“Whether it is office or manufacturing, it’s not going to be 24 hours,” said Giles. Pionzio reiterated that there would only be on, daytime shift.
The hearing was then closed, and the commissioners took a vote on the matter during the Action Items of the regularly scheduled meeting. At that time, Ferleger motioned to accept the conditional use (#2543), “subject to a written decision by solicitor.”
Ward 3 Commissioner Gary V. Scarpello seconded the motion. The motion passed, with a vote of 6-0, as Joseph A. Rudolph, Ward 7 Commissioner, voted via Zoom dial-in, and Ward 6 Commissioner Alyson J. Fritzges was absent from the meeting. There was no opposition to the conditional use.
