Frequently Asked Questions
Since the introduction of our initial proposal for Ashbourne, we have had many
opportunities to hear what we believe are the primary concerns of the community.
Here, we have attempted to present these questions along with our responses.
Of course, some of you will have very specific additional comments or anxieties
that are not addressed in this e-mail. As always, please feel free to email us to ask your question so that we can
attempt to respond. Also, while these items will be addressed in our community
meetings, we will also be inviting additional Q&A in these forums.
Answer: Based upon the feedback we have received our revised plan will not have rental apartments.
Answer: As indicated in the answer to Question 1, our revised plan will not have rental apartments. We may introduce similar multi-story buildings designed specifically for age restricted condominiums. However, we will also consider having any multi-story structures placed much deeper into the property.
Answer: We do not intend to build apartments and are considering introducing some single family homes that are not age restricted.
Answer: This question has a two part answer. First, although in theory the
plan we submitted could have supported 485 homes, we never planned on building
to that density and we were using a maximum number of homes for traffic purposes
and to understand the fiscal impact. Our stated goal was between 350-425 homes
depending on whether or not we built the multi-family apartments which, as stated
above, we will not be building.
The second part of the answer is that the township has existing overlay zoning
ordinances that could permit age restricted homes several times greater than
our stated goal. Additionally, it will also be important to read the answers
below on fiscal impact.
Question 5: Can’t you build on less of the land and leave us more open space?
Answer: While the originally proposed plan reserved a total of 46.62% of the
site for open space, which is more than the 45% required under the Age Restricted
Overlay Zone, we will attempt to increase the total amount of open space due
to the expansion of the landscape buffers and through an overall reduction of
the development area.
Answer: We will redesign based upon this recommendation.
Answer: Subject to working through the issues that public access raises with
the Township, Matrix is amenable to making these areas open to all the residents
of Cheltenham. We also have talked to the Township about potentially expanding
the Tookany Creek Park.
Answer: Our preliminary traffic report, based on the plan originally submitted
for consideration provided an estimate of the number of cars that would be exiting
the community during peak A.M. time and entering during peak P.M. time. Once
we establish the revised number and type of homes in a modified plan, we will
have our traffic specialists recalculate the expected daily trip generation
based on the widely accepted ITE factors for housing types. We also will ask
our traffic team to expand the area of study to take into account the impact
on the surrounding community beyond the roadways immediately adjacent to the
property.
An updated & expanded Traffic Report will then be prepared and submitted
to the township for review.
Answer: As with the prior approvals granted for this property it is our intention
to follow the recommendations of our Traffic Engineer subject to the Township’s
review and acceptance to provide a lane specifically for the drop-off &
pick-up of children. Safety of the children is, of course, of paramount importance. We are also looking at multiple entrances and exits from the project
to further control traffic patterns and provide emergency access. We can not
address the current residents exceeding the speed limit, as that is a police
matter.
Answer: This question demonstrates the misinformation about our request and is one of the contributing factors to the fear of traffic. A perception exists that we are adding significantly more parking spaces than are needed. Since the township ordinance is not specific about how to tabulate parking spaces, we listed this as a variance to avoid confusion. In our parking tabulation we have included the garages (most of which are 2 car) as well as the driveways (all are 2 car) and we’ve provided a limited number of visitor parking spots as well. In reality, the parking count is probably no different than exists for most of the homes in the surrounding community where you can park in your garage, in your driveway or even in front of your house on the street, if permitted.
Answer: Clearly, the most obvious benefit the Township can derive from the
developmentof Ashbourne is a financial one. It is no secret that Cheltenham
Township’s taxes are high, -in fact the highest in Montgomery County. With
a shortage of commercial ratables there are very few opportunities for the township
to attract new significant revenue sources. We have retained the services of
Glackin Thomas Panzak, Inc. to perform a fiscal impact study for this project.
As an example if the site were developed with 100 detached single family homes,
the project would be a burden to the existing township and school system which
would result in an annual deficit to the township/school budgets of roughly
-$800,000. The redevelopment of Ashbourne with a combination of age restricted
and market homes will
be a substantial positive. Until we arrive at the mix and number of homes, it’s
difficult to calculate the actual positive fiscal impact on the community. However,
we anticipate that, including all the changes addressed above, the resultant
community could have a positive net impact to the township/school budget of
between $1,600,000 and $2,000,000 annually. Our final formal application is
required to have a complete fiscal impact analysis and is subject to township
review.
Question 12: How many school children has your development project at Wyngate generated?
Answer: In the first 30 units sold, it appears that the project will have 5 school age children. The project is anticipated to be consistent with the fiscal impact study that was generated for that project in 2003 and consistent with national statistics.
Answer: In the Sewer Planning Module that was prepared and submitted previously
to the PADEP, sewer capacity for the redevelopment of Ashbourne was included.
The associated sewer flow or EDU’s (Equivalent Dwelling Units) that will
be required for this development will be directly related to the housing types
and quantities that will result from this process. It should also be noted that
as part of the prior approval we worked in conjunction with the Township and
performed a sizable amount of work to improve the efficiency of the existing
sewer system by reducing the amount of nonsanitary water infiltrating into the
system.
While Sanitary Sewer issues are a valid concern they are not ones which are
normally addressed in the zoning process. In the end, no matter what zoning
allows to be developed on the site in concept, the land development application
and process that will follow must prove that the system has capacity for the
development. In the end the community’s greatest protection is that if
there is no capacity we will not be able to build.
Answer: While we again recognize this concern as a real one, the answer is
similar to that offered regarding the sanitary sewer. The land development ordinance
of Cheltenham Township and the regulations of the county and state are very
clear about how storm water must be managed. If, in land development, we are
unable to design a system which meets or exceed the standards of the local,
county and state requirements then the development will not be approved in land
development.
Also, the Township has an ordinance in place that deals with tree removal as
a part of the Land Development Standards and we intend to adhere to those standards
as part of the land development application. We will not be removing all of
the trees and will be sensitive to preserve trees in accordance with township
ordinances.
Answer: The prior approvals for Ashbourne had a restaurant as part of the country
club and a sundry shop in the base of one of the seven story buildings. In our
current application, we did not include these amenities and we will look into
the need in this area for such services.
Important Dates
Wednesday, November 4th
8:15PM
Curtis Hall
Building & Zoning Committee
Monday, November 9th
7:30PM
Curtis Hall
Zoning Hearing Board
Tuesday, November 17th
7:30PM
Curtis Hall
Zoning Hearing Board