This Is Lower Merion And Narberth

Serving the Main Line Community

Plan For 230 Apartments At Lord & Taylor Site Advances

by

Plan For 230 Apartments At Lord & Taylor Site Advances

On Wednesday night( February 10), the Lower Merion Township Building and Planning Committee (comprised of all 14 members of the Board of Commissioners) approved a conditional use application, and a preliminary sketch plan; for the redevelopment of what is now the Lord and Taylor store at the Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center.

The applicant for the new project is Federal Realty Investment Trust, the same company that owns and operates the shopping center where the Lord and Taylor store has been located since 1955.

Federal’s plan would replace the  store  with a six story building containing 9,600 sq. ft of retail space, 230 dwelling units, and 257 parking spaces in structured parking.

The condidtional use application asked the board to permit  Fidelity to –

  • Exceed the maximum permitted lot width
  • Deviate from multipurpose path and pedestrianway standards
  • Deviate from the building configuraton standards.

Before the commissioners weighed in with their opinions for and against the conditional use application, Commissioner Todd Sinai (Ward 12, Merion) read a comment from Bala Cynwdy resident, David Rosenbaum, in oppostion to the application. Rosenbaum is a member of the Planning Commission, which previously had recommended that the Building and Planning Committee should approve the application. Rosenbaum indicated that his opposition was as an individual, and that he did not speak for the Planning Commission.

Rosenbaum said that “the waiver should not be granted because the policy interests that led to the adoption of that standard are applicable to this development.”

Commissioners express their views on Conditional Use Application for Lord &Taylor Project, then vote it. as well as Preliinary Sketch Plan.

Commissioners Voting in Favor of Conditional Use Application

  • Bernheim
  • Grimes
  • Courtney
  • Whalen
  • Durbin
  • McComb
  • Zelov
  • O’Neil
  • Sinai
  • Kramer
  • Churchill

Commissioners Voting Against Conditional Use Application

 

 

  • McKeon
  • Stevenson
  • Gavrin

Commissioners Voting in Favor of Preliminary Sketch Pln

  • Bernheim
  • Grimes
  • Courtney
  • Durbin
  • McComb
  • Zelov
  • O’Neil
  • Sinai
  • Kramer
  • Churchill

Commissioners Voting Against Conditional Use Application

 

 

  • McKeon
  • Stevenson
  • Gavrin
  • Whalen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. fay says

    Uggh Whyy!!! The Commissioners that voted in favor won’t be happy until Lower Merion is as crowded and the schools are as over crowded as University city. The commissioners are probably all realtors or developers who are just trying to lower the property value here so they can make money selling all the houses when everybody starts moving away to a place that still has enough money for good school, trees/green spaces and parking.