After several years and multiple deliberations and discussions, Pennsburg Council voted Tuesday to approve a proposed development on the former Kline Property. It passed a motion to grant preliminary/final plan approval for a Telford developer to construct 45 units at 704 Montgomery Avenue. The members also voted to approve 10 waivers related to the Deerfield development.

            Member Diane Stevens cast the lone vote against both motions. She expressed her opposition to several of the waivers in a text message received after the meeting.

            After the meeting, council President Patrick Suter said representatives for Tim Hendricks – the managing member of Hendricks Group Developers, LLC – successfully negotiated with the borough to make several of the changes it requested. Last month, the developer, through his lawyer and engineer, agreed to reduce the number of homes by five.

            Prior to the vote, Engineer John Rundy read through each of the 10 waivers, previously recommended by the borough's planning commission. Several were intended to minimize the impact on the existing regulated stream channel and riparian corridor on the 5.05-acre property. Rundy said he had no objection to any of them.

            Before building can commence, the developer must complete a series of actions, according to Rundy. He said after the meeting that they include – but are not limited to – completing the land development agreement and meeting all the borough's conditions, pay $10,000 fee in lieu of, complete the construction of the wetlands and conduct a new traffic study.

            They include allowing cul-de-sac streets to exceed 500 feet, permitting a 40-foot wide right-of-way and a 32-foot wide cartway instead of 50 feet and 36 feet, respectively; the reduction of minimum radii for local access street centerlines from 150 to 100 feet, a reduction of the intersection spacing of a collector street and Mensch Dam Road from 400 to 200 feet as well as a right-of-way radius from 60 to 45 feet and a paving radius from 48 to 40 feet.

            Other actions include putting a sidewalk on one side of a cul-de-sac street; including a walking path on the dwelling side of its southern portion; granting the developer permission to dedicate 121,622 feet of land to open space rather than the required 148,000; allowing him to plant trees without meeting the minimum spacing requirements due to issues of utility locations, driveways and easements; and limiting the planting of only maple, honey locust, red oak and white oak trees.

            Diane Stevens explained her no votes, writing that she was opposed to allowing the developer to have open space in the riparian corridor as it is not usable open space. She also claimed the cul-de-sacs are too long in length and not wide enough.

            "Parking is going to be an issue," Stevens wrote.

            She argued that the road coming out onto Montgomery Avenue is too close to Mensch Dam Road, and that the borough should have required a new traffic impact study before approving the project.