Wednesday’s Borough Council Meeting to be a Blockbuster

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Local News , Politics

August 20th, 2013 | By Marc Garabedian

As we reported earlier today, there will now be presentations by the developers in regards to the RFP for the Verizon Building, etc.  Now we hear via Borough President Paul McConnell’s Facebook page that two of the proposed apartment complexes will be discussed and there is the possibility they will take a vote on the one at West Elm and Corson.

McConnell post on Facebook states:

Tomorrow night (Wed Aug 21) should be an interesting council meeting if you care about the next round of development in the Borough. 7 PM Condiditonal (sic) User Hearing for a proposed very large apartment complex at Washington and Cherry on the river. 8 PM Presentation of Brandywines (sic) plans for 1st and Fayette plus the Verizon Building site. 8:45 PM Presentation by Keystone of their plans for 1st and Fayette plus the Verizon Building site. We shall also discuss and possibly vote on the Conditional Use proposal for the large apartment complex proposed at West Elm and Corson.

Come and see these presentations and give your thoughts.

If you haven’t been following any of this, here is what all of that means:

  • Cherry and Washington – 691 apartments
  • West Elm and Corson – 352 apartments
  • Hotel/Bigger Office Building/Rehabbed Office Building (Keystone) vs. New Office Building and Knocking Down Version Building and Building Borough Hall/Police Station (Brandywine)

That seem like a lot to you?  Concerned about traffic?  Let us flashback to 2010 letter sent by Mayor Bob Frost and McConnell to PennDOT:

“As any commuter that crosses the bridge daily will tell you, the congestion coming over the Schuylkill River at rush hour between Conshohocken and West Conshohocken has become extreme to the point of intolerable.”

In the letter they request a modification to the timing of the traffic light on the West Conshohocken side of the bridge.  This was done.  The letter goes on to state that this modification can only be looked as a short to mid-term solution and that a major road project is needed to remedy the situation.

So Conshy, without at least a plan for a major road project, how should Borough Council handle redevelopment until there is one?  Let us know in the comments. See you at the meeting.