February 2024 e-Newsletter

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Lower Gwynedd Township Important Dates:

General News:

If your home in Lower Gwynedd is your primary residence you can apply for the Homestead Exemption to save on your Wissahickon School District real estate tax bill. The Application for Homestead & Farmstead Exclusion needs to be completed by March 1st and sent to the BOA in order to start saving this year. You do not need to re-apply each year.

Send the application to:

Montgomery County Board of Assessment Appeals

Court House

P.O. Box 311

Norristown, PA 19404-0311

Find the Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion Application on my website: Lower Gwynedd Township Tax Collection (lowergwyneddtax.org) under important links.

Township Offices will be closed Monday, February 19th for Presidents' Day.

Township Happenings:

Police Department Accolades

The Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department had a busy night at the January 23, 2024, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. It started with the swearing in of new Officer Gregory Rozman. Greg was joined by his wife as he took his oath and became a Lower Gwynedd Police Officer. Officer William Henry (Townie) was joined by his family as he was sworn in as Sergeant. Sergeant Henry was promoted and recognized for his outstanding work leading the Community Response Unit of the department. Commendations were also awarded to a number of officers for their exceptional police work.

Going Green Award

The EAC established the Lower Gwynedd Going Green Award in 2023, to recognize environmental stewardship actions taking place throughout the township. The Board of Supervisors and Environmental Advisory Council presented the Inaugural Going Green Award to Gwynedd Friends Monthly Meeting for their Eco-Landscaping Design. In addition, Mary Pellegrino received the Youth Award for her Composting Cycle, Pollinator Gardens, & Bee Project. Honorable Mention was awarded to Harth Builders for their Headquarters Project.

The Environmental Advisory Council meets monthly at the Township Building and look forward to seeking applications for the 2024 Going Green Award.

To learn more about this award and these projects-click here!

EAC Green Tip of the Month

Try “pre-cycling” by making buying choices that support responsible products and packaging, make recycling easier, and reduce the amount of garbage you throw away. Get started by following these tips from the Environmental Defense Fund:

Shop with reusable bags, at the supermarket plus at any other store that you would normally get a paper or plastic bag for your purchases. Also use reusable bags for produce or no bag at all (there’s no need to put something like a bunch of bananas in a bag) and shop bulk sections of local stores where you can bring your own containers to fill with nuts, dried beans, spices, and much more. Weaver’s Way in Ambler has a huge selection of items available to purchase in this manner.
Buy large single containers – the largest you can store – and put what you need on a regular basis in smaller reusable containers for everyday use.
Pass on styrofoam – purchase eggs in cardboard cartons which are made from recycled newsprint. For paper boxes such as cereal boxes, the rule of thumb is if the unprinted side is grey, and not white, it’s made from recycled materials.
Compare the size of the package to the size of the product and avoid items that have a lot of extra packaging or wasted space in the package.

Tuesday, February 13^th 8:30am – Bird Walk @ Gwynedd Preserve

Join Steven Saffier, Lower Gwynedd EAC member, as we explore Natural Lands’ amazing nature preserve that contains woodlands, meadows, pond and edge habitat. Nearly 200 species of birds have been recorded in this conservation area and other wildlife abound!. Meet at the parking lot 640 Swedesford Road in North Wales. Please RSVP to contactus@lowergwynedd.org

Departmental Round-Up:

Building & Zoning

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB)

The Zoning Hearing Board met on January 11th and heard the following cases. They will meet on February 8th, 2024, to hear the applications listed below.

January Hearings- January 11th, 2024

1116 West Welsh Road: A-1 Residential District: Applicant request variances to allow a 16-foot side yard setback where a minimum of 45 feet is required; and to allow 32.83% impervious surface coverage where a maximum of only 25% is permitted, for a single-family dwelling addition upon real property. (Decision Pending-2/8/24)

300 Brookside Avenue: F-Industrial District: Applicant appeals the Zoning Officer's determination that the Zoning Ordinance does not permit a storage facility on the property. (Decision Pending-2/8/24)

February Hearings- February 8th, 2024

493 Brights Lane- B Residential District: Applicant request variances to allow an inground swimming pool within the rear yard setback and pool equipment in the front yard.

1343 Fording Brook Road- A-Residential District: Applicant seeks a variance to allow total impervious coverage in excess of 25% for a proposed pool house, inground swimming pool, and greenhouse.

400-404 N. Bethlehem Pike: A-Residential District: Applicant seeks a variance to allow a daycare center at an existing church.

Land Development & Subdivision:

Under Review:

#23-03 LD- Gwynedd Mercy University Francis Maguire Innovation Center- Land development application to construct a 62,000 square foot two-story nursing center and associated improvements on their campus located at 1325 Sumneytown Pike. PC approved. BOS approval pending.

#20-01LD-Janssen Permanent Parking Lot LD-Amended plan application requesting for the removal of one parking lot and replacement of a different parking lot that is a change from the originally approved plan. PC approved. BOS approval pending.

Public Works Department- Trewellyn Reserve Trail Temporarily Closed

Please be aware that the section of the Trewellyn Reserve Trail located behind the Giant Supermarket will be closed for tree removal beginning Tuesday, January 30, 2024-through February 13, 2024. Tree removal in this area is expected to take two weeks to complete. Once the tree removal is complete this section of trail will be reopened.

Lower Gwynedd Township

1130 North Bethlehem Pike

Spring House, PA 19477

Phone: (215) 646-5302

Next Issue

Keep an eye out for our March issue!