10/21/10 - The formal presentations to the various Cheltenham Township boards & committees has been delayed once again.
As of today, a revised schedule has not been requested, however we have been informed that it will likely be placed on the January/February calendar. Please check back for further updates, and remember to register on the "Contact Us" page to receive e-mail updates about this project.
6/25/10 - The neighbor's group has been informed by one of the Cheltenham Township Commissioners that Hansen Properties has "REMOVED" the time extension from their original application for 216 hi-rise units and the demolition of the mansion!
What this means is that Cheltenham Township must now take action on the current proposal through the various committees within 90 days.
As a community, WE MUST turn out in force at any & all public meetings where this development is to be presented. Please sign-up on the CONTACT US tab so we may keep you abreast of any scheduled meetings.
7-23/09 - Within the past 3 weeks, there have been two public meetings.
On July 9th, Hansen Properties presented two sets of plans to the public.
The first is their proposal for both Cheltenham & Springfield Townships, incorporating 150 age-restricted condominiums (in Cheltenham) and 120 townhouses (in Springfield).
Hansen Properties also presented their opinion of what they believe is their "AS-OF-RIGHT" plan which details what they believe they have a right to construct based on their interpretation of the current zoning codes for both townships.
The meeting was reported in the Springfield Sun, read the article here;
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/07/15/springfield_sun/news/doc4a5e85d277bed026932493.txt
Unfortunately, we are unable with our service provider, to have those plans available here on this site, but you can find copies at the following location;
http://www.hellerspringfield.com/issues/laverock.htm
Then, on July 13th, the Laverock Neighbors met to review & approve their steering committee's Position Statement as it relates to this proposed development. That will be posted shortly for the public to view.
7-1-09 - Two important neighborhood meetings will be occuring within the next two weeks. Since May, the Steering Committee for the Laverock Hill Neighbors Association has been an observer in 3 private meetings between the Townships & the Developer. The Steering Committee has also drafted a detailed "Position Statement" regarding the community's concerns & desired outcome regarding this development. There are two public meetings scheduled this month;
Thursday, July 9th at 7:30PM - Curtis Hall
Hansen Properties will present their proposal(s) for the entire tract of land to the public.
Monday, July 13th at 7:00PM - Glenside Hall
The Steering Committee for the Laverock Hill Neighbors Association will discuss the community "Position Statement" to gain consensus from the neighbors on the desired outcome of this proposed development.
Please attend both meetings, if at all possible.
5-3-09 - A group of about 12 residents, historians & members of the Laverock Hill Neighbors Steering Committee was afforded the opportunity to tour the inside of the mansion, greenhouse, garage & stable buildings. The property is still COMPLETELY INTACT of its architectural elements, yet deferred maintenance & vacancy are starting to show significant wear on the buildings. It is an exquisite example of the "Gilded Age" lifestyle when a large staff was required to maintain the estate. It will take creativity to find an effective re-use of the facilities, however the buildings provide a multitude of options. We hope to have a video-tour produced and uploaded to a public site in the near future for folks to see the building.
4/26/09 - There have been a few developments over the past month. First, the community met on 3/31/09 to discuss strategies to influence this project. About 100 neighbors met for 2 hours, and formed a Steering Committee. On 4/19/09, that Steering Committee met for the first time, walked the property, and spent most of our 1st meeting discussing how to get "a seat at the table" for the private meetings that were taking place between Springfield, Cheltenham & Hansen Properties. Through many phone calls, 2 representatives of the Laverock Hill Neighbors Steering Committee DID "observe" the last meeting that was held on 4/22/09. Two conceptual plans were presented to those Township officials that attended. One was a combination of "Age-Qualified" condos (in Cheltenham) and "Market-Rate" townhouses (in Springfield). The second was all "market-rate" townhouses in both Townships. Both concept plans preserved the Charles Platt designed mansion & outbuildings & the gardens. There are still many concerns about the proposed plans, and the Steering Committee will be reviewing those at our next meeting on 5/7/09.
3/23/09 - The meeting between Springfield Township, Cheltenham Township & Hansen Properties is taking place today. This is not a public meeting, so the outcome of these discussions will not be known unless a community member gets direction feedback from one of the Township officials that attended.
3/5/09 - The Laverock Hill development project was presented to the Cheltenham Township Building & Zoning Committee on 3/3/09. The developer again reiterated their "desire" to have Cheltenham & Springfield work together to alter the zoning in Springfield so that the density could be increased & to potentially save the mansion, outbuildings and/or gardens. The attorney for the developer again claimed a "BY RIGHT" status to build up to 300+ units, based upon the current Age Restricted Overlay District ordinance passed in Cheltenham in February of 2008.
Once again, about 40+ of your neighbors attended the meeting, and once again raised many similar issues that were raised at the Planning Commission.
One resident made sure to publicly state that the "BY RIGHT" option their attorney kept referencing must still abide by the parking, open space & setback requirements, and that the density may not be allowed as the developer claims if those parameters could not be met.
At the end of the meeting, the Building & Zoning committee voted to have officials from Cheltenham begin a dialogue with Springfield. At the request of one of the neighbors, we were informed that the meeting would NOT be open to the public.
2/24/09 - about 40+ concerned neighbors attended the Planning Commission meeting last night. A detailed e-mail summarizing the results of that meeting will be sent out to those registered on this site as soon as the meeting minutes are available from Cheltenham Township.
IMPORTANT - the developers are presenting next to the Cheltenham Township Bulding & Zoning committee on Tuesday, March 3rd at 8:00PM! WE MUST continue to show strength in numbers, and attend this meeting as well. Please make every effort to be present!
2/17/09 - CONFIRMED - the Hansen-Lloyd L.P. development plans WILL BE on the Cheltenham Township Planning Commission agenda for Monday, February 23rd. Meetings are held at the Township offices at 8230 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 at 7:30PM.
Please make every effort to attend the above meeting.
PLEASE ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THE CONTACT US PAGE TO GET FUTURE EMAILS.
We ask everyone in the area to "spread the word" to anyone else that may have a vested interest in this project. Have them come to this website & enter their contact information in the "Contact Us" section.
Only through a coordinated & effective community campaign can you have an impact on the ultimate result of the development of Laverock Hill.
