Neighbors Raise Concerns Over Planned Wyoming Avenue Development

Fifteen Ardmore residents met with President of Blue Star Properties Charlie Houder on Monday night to discuss concerns over the company's plans for the development of 9, 11, 13 and 19 S. Wyoming Ave.

The plan is to demolish the two existing single-family semi-detached homes at 9 and 11 S. Wyoming Ave. and the home at 19 S. Wyoming Ave.  Blue Star will consolidate four lots and build a total of 14 new single-family homes: four single-family semi-detached homes, which would face the street, and behind them, 10 townhouses.

Houder came before the Lower Merion Planning Commission on Sept. 12 to present a "tentative sketch plan" for the property, at which point the Planning Commission asked Houder to consider tabling the plan until resident concerns were heard.

This part of S. Wyoming Avenue is zoned an R6A district, just short of the most dense residential zone, R7, according to Houder. R6A allows for a number of different dwelling styles, including apartment buildings, town homes, twins, regular homes, or a combination of the four.

Houder said at the meeting that Blue Star had considered two additional ideas for the space before deciding on the 14-unit plan: a 16-unit apartment building, and an 18-unit townhouse plan, both of which are permitted under the zoning codes of Lower Merion Township.

Houder estimated that the planned homes would sell for somewhere in the mid- to upper- $400,000 range. 

See the attached PDF to view the current tentative sketch for the S. Wyoming Avenue properties.

Parking, traffic, and "the character of the neighborhood"

Many of the concerns voiced by residents for the current plan centered on traffic problems, aesthetic issues, and how the townhomes would affect the character of the neighborhood. Other concerns involved snow removal, adherence to township code limitations, and the economic viability of the project.

Houder said a traffic study conducted by an outside company during the most intensive traffic times of the day suggested that the addition of 14 dwellings on Wyoming Avenue would have no impact on traffic—something residents found hard to believe.

"Wyoming used to be a quiet, small, low-end cut-through," a resident of Holland Avenue said, noting that Wyoming Avenue is often used as a shortcut by commuters trying to get to County Line Road. "Now, Holland Avenue is going to be the place you'll go.  … With school buses in the afternoon, it's a mess—I think it's going to add greatly to the area's traffic."

Ludy Soderman, who is the property's immediate neighbor, said she was worried about how the construction would affect the lives of her family.

"What are you going to do for us?" she asked. "My quality of life is going to be impacted in a very negative manner. I am aware of the code and you are protected by the code, but I am also a resident … and I am displeased. Once you start breaking ground, my life will be affected immediately, and for me it's not an enterprise. It's not a venture. It's my life."

"This is not heavy construction," Houder explained. "It's all wood frame buildings—no jackhammering, no intensive kind of construction. This is my company. … If you're being put in unreasonable position because of something that is not right, call me and we'll take care of it. We want this to be a receptive place and we want people to want to live here."

Wyoming Avenue residents also worried about how the homes would affect the character of the neighborhood aesthetically, as well as how connected the townhouse owners would be with the rest of the neighborhood.

Houder said that in terms of the character of the street, the townhomes would serve as a transitional space. The end of Wyoming Avenue is all single-family homes, but the far end is commercial: the property butts up against and the on Lancaster Avenue.

Nonetheless, Houder said he understood resident concerns and aesthetically, wanted to preserve the feel of the neighborhood.

"Though it's not designated a historic district, we're going to proceed as though it is," Houder told residents. "We want to make the façade of the units similar to those on the street. It's not something we're required to do, but we're going to do it because it's something we think is important."

Moving forward

Houder estimates that if the tentative sketch is approved by the Planning Commission and all goes according to plan, the final plan for development will be approved in April. The company would break ground on the site in May, with a estimated completion date in November.

Blue Star Properties will come before the Planning Commission again on Monday, Oct. 3.