The Falls Township Zoning Hearing Board turned down a number of variance requests from a developer who wanted to construct two buildings with a combined total of 90 age-restricted condo units.
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Developer Brian Brzezinski was seeking variances for the former Lincoln Garage property at 654 Lincoln Highway in Falls Township’s Fairless Hills section.
The variances were related to the plan to build condos for residents age 55 and older at the site, yard setbacks, the buffer against abutting residential properties, plants, and more.
After hearing the plan and testimony, the zoners turned down Brzezinski’s variance requests. Board member Nastasha Raisley abstained from the vote.
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The plans presented Tuesday evening removed a floor from the proposal and stretched the length of the buildings.
The two buildings would be three stories each, with the building closest to Lincoln Highway having 48 apartments and the one closer to Trenton Road having 42 units, according to Tim Duffy, the attorney representing Brzezinski.
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The plan that came before the zoners called for 168 parking spaces instead of the required 248 spaces.
The proposal was changed after initial feedback in recent months, Duffy said.
The 2.8-acre site runs from Lincoln Highway to Trenton Road, according to county property records.
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The current zoning would allow for commercial use, but Brzezinski said he wanted to use the narrow property for residential use.
One resident who spoke against the plan at the meeting raised concerns that the surrounding neighborhoods are mostly single-family homes and they worried about buffer zones, light pollution, and traffic congestion. Another resident said the property is largely covered with trees and plants and the project would clear them.
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Heath Dumack, the owner of Dumack Engineering and the planner working with the developer, said the property presently has a significant number of tires dumped and buried across it. He added that the owner of a neighboring property reported digging up tires from their yard.
Also at the site, which was once an auto repair shop, there are underground tanks that are in unknown condition and they might have to be remediated, which Dumack said created a hardship due to the likely high cost of a cleanup.
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Brzezinski said building condos at the site was the only plan that would be feasible.
“It’s not good for the neighborhood. It’s all about the money,” one resident said of the proposal, causing Brzezinski to shake his head in disagreement.
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The denial could be appealed by Brzezinski or he could submit a new plan, but he indicated he might move on from the site.
The Lincoln Garage closed in 2010 or 2011. The majority of the garage was demolished by 2012.
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