Norristown council OKs zoning for senior apartments

NORRISTOWN >> Norristown council unanimously adopted zoning regulations Feb. 3 for a proposed age-restricted apartment development at the former Montgomery Hospital site on Powell Street.

The zoning amendments to the office residential (OR) zoning district located around the former hospital are designed to allow construction of a 100-unit, age-restricted adult apartment complex and related uses.

The new regulations allow an adult day care center building, and a professional medical office building with a maximum building height of 75 feet or six stories, whichever is less.

The high-density elderly housing allowed in the zoning district has a maximum building height of 55 feet or four stories, whichever is less. An adult day care center or a neighborhood commercial building are restricted to a maximum height of 26 feet or two stories.

The maximum impervious coverage allowed is 65 percent, and the maximum building coverage is 30 percent. The minimum common open space required is 20 percent.

A traffic impact study will be done for the entire development even though the developer plans to build it in two, 50-unit phases.

There were no public comments from members of council or from members of the public on the zoning regulations.

The Norristown Planning Commission had reviewed the zoning changes and recommended them to council.

The Elon Group of Fort Washington has proposed 100 apartments in two four-story (50-unit) buildings and a 15,000-square-foot life center that would be built in two phases over more than two years in order to qualify for funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency funding for both phases, said Francis Vargas, the vice president of the Elon Group. Parking for 48 cars on site would be supplemented by 200 designated parking spaces in the former hospitals parking garage. The medical office building would remain, but an overhead, enclosed walkway to the hospital building over Powell Street will be demolished.

In other business Tuesday, a two-year contract with the AFSCME Local 317 representing clerical and technical workers was unanimously approved by council. Continued...

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Norristown council OKs zoning for senior apartments