Lexington Gardens—

Commercial Redevelopment Project Headed To Public Hearing

By Andrew Gorosko

A major commercial redevelopment proposal for Church Hill Road has gained endorsements from three local agencies and is headed for a Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) public hearing next week.

The BZC is scheduled to conduct a public hearing at 7:15 pm on Wednesday, September 19, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, on Newtown Savings Bank’s proposal for The Villages at Lexington Gardens at a 6.3-acre site at 30-32 Church Hill Road.

The borough zoners will be reviewing the applicant’s requests for a site development plan, a special permit, and a Village District zoning permit for the project, which would add 60,500 square feet of new commercial space at the site.

Under the redevelopment proposal, an existing two-story 16,000-square-foot commercial building at 30 Church Hill Road would have a variety of external improvements made to enhance its appearance, making it visually complementary with the proposed new construction at 32 Church Hill Road.

The brick building at 30 Church Hill Road holds retail space at the ground level and office space on the second story.

At 32 Church Hill Road, the developer proposes the demolition of Lexington Gardens, a former plant nursery and garden shop. Several two-story buildings would be constructed there, providing 60,500 square feet of new commercial space, with retail uses positioned at the ground level and office uses on the second story.

As part of the project, a four-way intersection of Church Hill Road, The Boulevard, and a driveway for 30-32 Church Hill Road would be constructed and would be controlled by a four-way traffic signal. Left-turn lanes on eastbound and westbound Church Hill Road would be created.

Church Hill Road carries about 19,000 vehicles per day. The new traffic signal’s phasing would be coordinated with the phasing of an existing traffic signal at the nearby intersection of Church Hill Road and Queen Street.

Three Agencies

Following a September 12 public hearing, the applicant received a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for the project from the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC).

The basic aspect of that permit involves the developer making physical improvements to a swale that runs in an east-west direction to the south of the redevelopment site. That swale collects stormwater drainage from a 31-acre section of the borough.

IWC Chairman Anne Peters said, “The design of the project is not in our purview, but it looks lovely.”

On September 6, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members endorsed the commercial redevelopment proposal following a presentation by the applicant. The P&Z reviewed the project in its role at the borough’s planning agency.

Architect Hugh Sullivan, representing the applicant, told P&Z members that the project meets the various zoning regulations in effect in the borough.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean told the applicant that the redevelopment proposal has the P&Z’s endorsement, provided that it gains IWC approval.

On September 4, Police Commission members, acting as the local traffic authority, endorsed the traffic aspects of the redevelopment project.

Traffic engineer Michael Galante, representing the applicant, explained traffic-related issues to Police Commission members, noting the heavy volume of traffic on Church Hill Road and explaining the steps would be taken to provide traffic access to and from the redevelopment site.

A sidewalk would be constructed along the Church Hill Road frontage of the site, he said.

Also, an internal driveway connection would be made to link the Lexington Gardens site to the adjacent shopping center that holds Caraluzzi’s Food Market at 5 Queen Street. Such an internal driveway link is intended to alleviate traffic pressure on Church Hill Road.