Whitpain Supervisors grant conditional use approval for development of former Reed’s property on Skippack Pike

Plans to develop the former location of Reed’s Restaurant and Nightclub on Skippack Pike took a step forward on Tuesday night, as the Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a conditional use application to build an “active adult housing” development on the 21-acre property.

Current plans submitted by Franklin Village Partners would create a 90-unit, age-restricted apartment community along the 1400 block of Skippack Pike. Dubbed “The Residences at Blue Bell Chase,” the proposed 55-and-older community would include 57 two-bedroom units and 33 one-bedroom units, along with courts for pickleball, bocce, tennis, and other “active adult” features.

    Screenshot of plans shown during the conditional use hearing.
  

The property would feature a 49-foot, T-shaped building on the Skippack Pike side for housing, and parking would be a mixture of 103 spaces in an underground garage, 45 surfaces spaces, and 12 spaces from a covered carport.

    A rendering of the proposed building along the 1400 block of Skippack Pike.
  

As part of the proposed development, the rear 13 acres of the property would be deed restricted as permanent open space, with Whitpain Township being the beneficiary of the restriction and having control of any future development. The restriction was noteworthy, as residents whose properties border the parcel previously expressed concerns about having that open space converted into townhomes or other building development.

One of those residents, Kathleen DiClementi, expressed concerns regarding the possibility of future development on the deed-restricted portion of the parcel, and Whitpain Supervisors Chair Scott Badami echoed those concerns during the hearing.

“I’ve heard from members of the community who live on Carriage and Clover, and the concern was always either the townhouses or some other development back on that parcel,” Badami said.

In response, Marc Kaplin — who was representing Franklin Village Partners at the hearing — confirmed the 13 acres would be deed restricted, and any future plans to develop that parcel would be at the discretion of the township.

An additional question was raised by another resident during the hearing regarding the age restriction of the proposed development and why it wouldn’t be open to all ages. The township solicitor then explained the current zoning for that parcel does not allow for non-age-restricted development.

Badami later inquired about potential traffic impacts caused by construction — namely, compounding on the current traffic issues at the intersection of Skippack and Dekalb pikes — however the developers said construction on the proposed project wouldn’t begin for 12 to 18 months, and roadwork at the intersection would likely be done by that period.

Though the conditional use application was approved Tuesday night, the proposal itself has several more steps to take before construction can begin, with the next step being the submission of land development plans for review at a future date.