(Credit: Austin Pacheco / Unsplash.com)
The district's much-contested bus depot is seeking variances before land development
Zoning Officer and Planning Coordinator Alison Giles presented to the Upper Dublin Township Board of Commissioners a preview of upcoming Zoning Hearing Board and Planning Commission items. Of particular interest to many in the area, the Upper Dublin School District’s application for variances on its projected Transportation Facility project are coming before the ZHB on July 30.
Giles explained that the Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) has opted to split July’s agendas into two separate meetings, as both are likely to be lengthy and complex in nature. The first meeting of the ZHB will be on Monday, July 22. This meeting will include an update on the North Wales Water Authority filter projects, the 103 Flick Drive exception requests for a conversion of a garage to an in-law suite, and an update on 1250 Virginia Drive 124-unit apartment complex for relief requests.
The second of the ZHB meetings will be on Tuesday, July 30. This evening will feature the projects of the Upper Dublin School District. This is application is for the space at 1010 Fort Washington Avenue, an address decided upon to represent a combination of parcels in this proximity. The newly proposed center is proposed to sit at Highland Avenue and Fort Washington Avenue/Route 309. Maps of the proposed Transportation Facility show it nestled between Fort Washington Elementary School and The Field of Dreams.
“The applicants are requesting variances related to the proposed discussion of a bus depot, AKA transportation facility, that will serve the entire school district,” said Giles.
The variances up for review will include:
The property the school district hopes to build upon is currently zoned A-Residential.
“The bus depot issue has been a huge issue for many community members,” said Ginny Vitella. “July 30 is very untimely and unfortunate, since most people that are opposed to this and have been fighting this since 2018 are families with kids at Fort Washington Elementary School and families with kids that use those that use those fields, The Field of Dreams, Loch Ash, the baseball and softball fields.”
Vitella said she thought the rapid scheduling of July 30 may not be enough warning time for those that wish to speak for or against the project to meet. She said she was curious how this agenda item came up so quickly.
“This is driven predominately by the school district,” explained Board President and Ward 4 Commissioner Ira S. Tackel. “When they’re ready, they present it to us, and if we’re ready, it goes on the agenda and if we’re not, it doesn’t.”
Ward 2 Commissioner and Vice President of the Board Meredith L. Ferleger added that there are also timeline requirements in which the township must abide by according to law.
“The township does not have a choice but to schedule a meeting within that timeframe or it’s a deemed approval,” said Ferleger.
Upper Dublin Township Manager Kurt Ferguson said that, once an application is complete, the “clock” starts. The township engineer and Giles would deem an application ready and set the agenda item at that time. He said the “clock” is within 45 days to schedule a zoning hearing.
“It’s not a matter of trying to schedule something when people are away,” said Tackel. “It’s a matter of adhering the guidelines we’ve set for ourselves.”
Vitella said she wanted to ask the questions in a public forum so all concerned would know the answers.
“There’s literally thousands of people that have signed multiple petitions over the last six years fighting this location,” said Vitella. “It’s very personal, and it’s very upsetting to people that have children right around that area.”
Ferleger said that, in situations like these, it is very common for the zoning hearing portion alone to take several meetings. If there is a concern for those that wish to attend, she said, it is likely they’ll have multiple chances to speak.
“You would have to imagine you are probably looking at two, three … four, 12 [meetings]?” joked Ferleger. “Odds are there is still going to be an opportunity, even if there’s some folks that can’t attend on the [July] 30th.”
Vitella asked if the zoning hearing board’s decision would then come back to the Board of Commissioners, and the board said it would not. A ZHB decision is final, barring any appeals to that same board.
“The school board is coming to the zoning hearing board for all of these elements of a site that they appear have now selected,” said Tackel. “The concern of the site and/or its selection? You need to direct that to the school board. That’s not a township-driven process.”
The exceptions, as outlined above, would however be up to the zoning hearing board, a quasi-judiciary board which falls under the township’s jurisdiction. Vitella called the requests “pretty intense for an A-Residential area.”
“We fought the other end,” explained Vitella, meaning that those against the location had spoken to the school district itself. “Now, this is the only way for people to fight is to get those exceptions not accepted because it’s A-Residential.”
Ferleger said that, should the ZHB approve the exceptions requested, the school district would still need to go before Land Development.
“And that’s when it would come back in front of this board,” she said.
Ferguson said that, once relief is granted or not by the ZHB, the school district would have to abide by the codes as written. He also said that a radius of 500 feet is the required notification range to inform residents.
Tackel noted that this radius would not include many residents, given the location at Highland Avenue and Fort Washington Avenue. Giles added that it is 500 feet from the border, which she estimated to be around 30 homes.
“They’re [the school district] asking for that list in advance because they want to send one that goes out even further on their own,” said Giles. Tackel asked if the radius could be larger, and Ferguson responded it likely could not be mandated.
“But we could certainly, in the cooperation of transparency, certainly encourage this to be [larger],” said Ferguson, suggesting the area include the permitter of the entire complex.
Giles said both a township and a school district mailer would be released. Ferguson said they’d compare the lists prior to mailing.
“It’s effecting a lot of people,” said Vitella. “That’s why my concern is that we let the Fort Washington Elementary School community, is larger than someone who lives across the street.”
Ferguson said that the township has already reached out and created a relationship with the school district’s new superintendent.
“We have established a very, very positive relationship with the new superintendent who has expressed a … who the chief and I have frankly met with more in the six months than the previous superintendent in two years. She is very open to doing things to encourage transparency,” said the manager. He said they’d strongly request additional notice be done by the district.
The planned meeting to hear more on the requested exceptions will be hosted by the Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. Meetings are held at the Upper Dublin Library, 520 Virginia Drive, in Fort Washington. The ZHB meetings and hearings are open to the public.
