Green Street Building Project Stalled By Royersford Borough Council Vote

A building project at 400 Green Street in Royersford hit a roadblock Tuesday night as the Royersford Borough Council voted unanimously to deny the builders’ requested waivers.

The project would renovate a single home on the property and build a second house that would be a twin. The property owners, builder DeLuca Brothers and real estate agent Joe Tarantino, accompanied by attorney Bernadette Kearney, presented their plan and waiver requests to the borough council. The builders were asking for three waivers to zoning and code restrictions, but in the course of discussion the builders agreed that changing the lot size of one lot would eliminate the need for two of the waivers.

Several area residents voiced strong opposition to the plans.

Resident Jim Bauer of Green Street said that there are already traffic problems on Green Street and allowing these plans to go forward would only add to those problems.

Bauer and resident Arthur Russell of Fourth Avenue both said that their lawns are often damaged by cars. Bauer said his yard has tire ruts in it “at least once a week."

Vicki Keil, who lives next door to the property, said that the new homes' ten parking spaces were a concern for her.

“The two previous owners couldn’t get permission for a garage or carport to park their own cars…he [the previous resident] walked up to Fifth and Gay Street rain or shine to park his car,” Keil said.

Other residents expressed disbelief that the homes would sell at the planned asking price.

In response to a comment that the houses would be cramped, Tarantino said that the houses would be 2000 square feet.  He said they would not be rental units, but would be for sale at between $250,000 to $300,000. 

The plans “wouldn’t change the character of the neighborhood” and that the owners were “trying to do something nice for the borough,” Tarantino said.

After several minutes of statements from the residents and the builders, the borough council voted to deny the requested waivers.

Borough Solicitor Todd Silbergeld said after the meeting that the builders’ options were to either re-submit their plan, as they have already done once, or appeal the denial directly to Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

The borough approved a plan by DeMaula Veterinary Services for their new office at 850 Main Street, Royersford. Drs. Laurel and Christopher DeMaula will be opening an office to serve local residents’ veterinary needs. Hannelore Bealer, owner of the Royersford Hotel, said that she was happy to see a new business on Main Street, especially a veterinarian, and that she welcomes the DeMaulas to Royersford.

In other borough news:

• Council approved a motion to borrow approximately $500,000 at a 3.45% interest rate from National Penn Bank to pay for the Main Street revitalization project. Finance Committee chairman John Kring said that the borough’s capital reserves can support a loan this size and that the borough should be able to pay the loan off in five years, but that the borough has options to refinance the loan every five years if for some reason it isn’t paid off at the end of the first term.
• The final revitalization plan for Main Street will be before the borough council for voting at the second April meeting on April 26.
• The current plan of record for the Rite Aid location at Main Street and Lewis Road is that they will have the two homes on the property demolished by May 1^st.
• The next council meeting is Tuesday, April 13, 2011.