The owner of the SOS Products Company building, the largest in East Greenville, appeared before borough council Monday to pitch his proposal to convert the facility to residential units.

        Carl Weiner, an Upper Gwynedd attorney representing Bill Pryor, asked council to consider a text amendment that would allow for the creation of approximately 70 apartments inside the building near the intersection of Fourth Street and Water Alley.

        Approval of the amendment would permit residential use of the property at 401 W. Fourth St. in an industrial district, according to Weiner.

        The business currently produces plumbing and heating chemicals at the building that exceeds 100,000-square feet, according to the property records posted on the Montgomery County website.

        Pryor – appearing during the public meeting with a representative of New Jersey development company Ingerman, and a Chalfont engineer – told council that he has owned the building for 50 years and he wanted to see it "go in a good direction."

        The proposed apartments would feature a mix of one, two and three bedrooms, according to Weiner.

        However, Ingerman representative John Randolph of the project's development company described the total number of occupants as "a moving target."

        According to Randolph, all the apartments would be rented at a cost of between $750 and $1,250 per month. He added that the main access to the complex would be off Fourth Street, and estimated that the work could commence late next year.

        Following the presentation, council voted to approve a public hearing where residents could voice their concerns over the proposal.

        On Monday, audience members' issues related to the potential traffic the project might create, as well how some neighboring alleys might be impacted.

        "There are a lot of pros and cons with this proposal," council President Tracey Hunsinger said.

        The conversion would preserve the history of the building, the oldest portion of which dates back to the 1860s, according to Randolph. He said that segment was utilized by the Boyertown Casket Company.