Lansdale development moving forward

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LANSDALE - After five years on the drawing board, more than a year of review and some last minute discussion, developer Jim Moultons Andale Green project is moving ahead.

On Monday night, the boroughs planning commission unanimously voted to grant final land development approval for Andale Green, a planned complex of 174 townhouses on the north side of Hancock Street.

Youve all seen this several times, youre pretty familiar with it, I think, Moulton said.

First proposed in 2007 as a complex for seniors only, Andale Green has been before the planning commission and borough council since early 2011 in its current incarnation, which would build 174 townhomes on a triangular parcel bounded by Hancock Street and two rail lines, directly north from the boroughs Stony Creek Park.

Planning commission members and several borough consultants, including solicitor Joe Clement and engineer Chris Fazio, discussed at length the latest contents of several review letters that have been exchanged between Moulton, his engineer Jason Smeland of Lenape Valley Engineering, and other consultants.

All of the outstanding conditions will be included in a land development agreement that borough council will be asked to approve when it meets on Nov. 28, according to Clement.

Several sticking points were discussed at length Monday night, with Moulton ultimately agreeing to comply with the recommendations in each review letter, but not before having a discussion on the types of trees to be located around the property, the placement of utilities and of amenities including gazebos and benches on the plans, and the timing of financing for a future traffic study and a potential new signal at the intersection of Hancock and Line streets, among other concerns.

According to Moulton and Clement, the developer has agreed to provide a $75,000 contribution to the borough at the start of the project thats earmarked for future traffic improvements if traffic flow requires them, and the two will agree to split the cost of a traffic study that could spell out what those improvements might include. Both parties will also agree to fund the installation of a crosswalk between a trailhead across the street at Stony Creek Park and the Andale property, with Andale to provide signage at the boroughs discretion that shows how it will link Lansdales trail system together.

Were really looking at three different things: one being the crosswalk, the other, the traffic impact study, and the third being the contribution to the borough for the potential upgrades at the intersection of Hancock and Line, Clement said.

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Lansdale development moving forward