Goodman Properties is expected at a Horsham Township public hearing Monday to discuss plans for a parcel off Norristown Road by Key Bank.
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HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —The 14 acres behind the Key Bank along the intersection of Norristown and Welsh roads is the subject of a planned public hearing before the Horsham Township Council.
At its April meeting, the council approved the introduction of an ordinance to change the zoning code on 726 Norristown Road that would allow for the construction of 53 townhomes near the township’s border with Upper Dublin Township.
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Developers Sal Paone and Goodman Properties need the zoning change for townhomes to be built. They were before the Horsham Planning Commission earlier this month.
The move has been met with resistance from nearby residents who formed the Horsham/Maple Glen Homeowners Against Rezoning Facebook page. Residents appeared at two council meetings last June and November to speak out about the development.
The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the Horsham Township Council chambers in the municipal complex on Horsham Road. A vote on the measure won’t take place Monday night, township officials said.
The property is currently zoned R-3. The zoning currently permits 10 to 12 single-family homes on the property.
In a letter to residents who live near the property, township officials said a presentation and discussion are expected to take place at the public hearing.
The project is near the Norristown Road/Welsh Road/Limekiln Pike triangle which is notorious for traffic troubles.
While residents have argued about preserving open space, the developer has proposed upgrading the busy intersection where traffic continually backs up, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
The intersection would be expanded to three lanes, with a through lane and right and left turn lanes with developers saying that traffic flow would be vastly improved.
The parcel sits across from an 18-acre tract on the Upper Dublin Township side that was cleared of its remaining trees destroyed when a tornado swept through the township in September 2021.
The same residents’ group is concerned about development there as well. The land is also owned by Goodman Properties and borders the Maple Glen Triangle.
At that time, Upper Dublin Township officials told Patch that Goodman Properties would pay for various improvements such as sidewalks, road widening, and traffic intersection upgrades which are typical with development plans.