LOWER MERION\u2014Lower Merion officials are planning to hold a hearing to vacate a roadbed in Wynnewood in the hopes that it could give life to a gas station site that\u2019s been closed for well more than a decade.<\/p>\n
At their last meeting, the commissioners approved a motion to hold a public hearing for the township to officially vacate a small section of Morris Road that functions as a cut-through from Lancaster Avenue to East Wynnewood Road.<\/p>\n
According to township officials, approximately 4,197 square feet of roadbed would revert to the properties located at 637 East Lancaster Ave. and 18 East Wynnewood Road, and approximately 4,004 square feet would revert to the property located at 625 East Lancaster Ave.<\/p>\n
Paul McElhaney, director of public works for Lower Merion, outlined some of the details.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may be familiar with it,\u201d McElhaney said. It\u2019s behind the defunct gas station that everybody calls a major eyesore. So, we have determined that the road really serves no purpose for the township anymore and that it\u2019d be more beneficial for us to vacate it and return the property to the two property owners. This will enable that property to be developed in a more efficient, more pleasant way, more appealing. So it\u2019ll bring much more to the township than what we currently have there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although there was no indication of what the site might be used for, the nearby GIANT grocery store had submitted plans to reopen the gas station several years ago, but opposition arose due to the site\u2019s size.<\/p>\n
But township officials say they believe vacating the road would help the site get developed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proposed vacation would also support the redevelopment of the adjoining corner property. Incorporating the former right-of-way into the development site would improve internal circulation, create opportunities for additional parking, and allow for 3 expanded landscaping and green space,\u201d according to township documents. \u201cThese improvements would enhance the long-term viability of the property while advancing the Township\u2019s broader goals of improving safety, supporting economic investment, and promoting efficient land use along the Lancaster Avenue corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Sean Whalen, as the ward commissioner, asked the others to support the plan, describing it as a little stub of a road.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also now where most people come directly out of the Whole Foods parking lot and go against the one-way traffic and just go the wrong way,\u201d Whalen said.<\/p>\n
According to Whalen, there have been some concerns about the turn onto Wynnewood Road, but that issue is expected to be addressed with any future development of the gas station site.<\/p>\n
According to township officials. \u201cVacating Morris Road would eliminate the Township\u2019s long-term responsibility for maintaining the roadway, resulting in a minor reduction in future maintenance obligations. No significant fiscal impacts are anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOWER MERION\u2014Lower Merion officials are planning to hold a hearing to vacate a roadbed in Wynnewood in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[182,200,139,28,69,71,70,199],"class_list":["post-236682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-local-news","tag-montgomery-county","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-top-stories-mlt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}