A Quick Look at the UProv Township Meeting

The board of supervisors of Upper Providence Township held its monthly work session on Monday evening.

While the agenda was comprised of mostly routine business, a few items did spark some discussion.

The board discussed and approved a subdivision plan submitted by the Volpe transportation company regarding its location on Hollow Road.

Volpe plans to add five acres to their existing 10 acres of property in order to increase parking space for trucks. The board voiced concern about the noise level and traffic congestion in the area if more trucks will be coming onto Volpe's property.

Supervisor John Pearson said he was concerned about the residents nearby.

"I can stand on Port Providence Road and hear the trucks and guys yelling on the docks," he said.

He added that he would like to see a traffic study done to see what the traffic impact might be. After some discussion and a 10-minute executive session, Volpe offered to contribute $10,000 to do a baseline traffic study now and another one later after the new lot is complete.

They will also place 16 trees that would normally be on the property as a noise buffer on the southern side of the property.

In other business news, Providence Town Center will see two more restaurants open soon. Champps, a sports bar, is proceeding with their development plans after the board approved a request for a third sign for their exterior wall.

While the total square footage was below the maximum, the township only allows signs on two walls, not three.

Champps regional manager Stan Ryback said during the meeting that the third sign will make the restaurant more visible from Route 29. Ryback said that the sign would help prevent accidents at the intersection of Town Center Road and Route 29.

When questioned by the board, Ryback said that he requested an extra sign at a Champps location in Marlton, N.J., and was denied, and in the week following that decision there were 12 accidents due to people stopping in the intersection while looking for the restaurant. Marlton's government later approved an additional sign.

The board approved the sign request because Champps is still well within the 150-square feet of signage allowed by township ordinances.

Firebirds Wood-fired Grill will be opening a restaurant at Providence Town Center in early 2012 after approval was granted to transfer a liquor license to the location from Cheltenham Township.

Pearson asked during discussion if yet another restaurant in the area was a good idea, and Firebirds’ attorney, Mark Kozar, pointed out that this area is becoming a destination for people dining out.

Kozar explained that any township would "want to be the municipality that they're [the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board] moving licenses into, not the municipality they're moving licenses out of."

Board Chairman Robert Fieo said that in his experience, the restaurants in the area are busy enough that adding more is definitely a benefit.

In addition to these topics, the board accepted two bids for reconstruction projects, one on Longford Road and one for Second and Third avenues. The reconstruction project for Second and Third avenues is funded by a Community Development Block Grant.

Finally, before adjourning, the board announced they had received a letter from SEPTA indicating that the Route 99 bus (Norristown Transportation Center to Phoenixville) will be rerouted from Brower Avenue to Station Avenue.