A Maryland-based developer has revived its plans to build a 1,203-unit residential senior care facility on 176 open acres in Upper Providence Township. The land is one of the last big chunks of open space in the Royersford area. Royersford Holdings submitted a plan in 2022 to build the care facility for people 62 and older — a plan that conforms to the applicable zoning overlay. Residents mobilized against the plan, starting a petition and social media sites, saying they fear development will hurt the environment, add to traffic, and burden emergency responders and police. The township solicitor drafted a compromise ordinance in November 2023 that would allow construction of 689 townhouses, far fewer than the original proposal but no longer limited to seniors. Residents turned up against the idea, and the supervisors voted the ordinance down. Township officials report that Royersford Holdings has notified them the original plans for 1,203 units are back on, and the matter is expected to be on the agenda of the supervisors’ Feb. 20 meeting. Natural Lands, a large conservation nonprofit, called the tract “one of the last large undeveloped lands along the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County” and catalogued 65 acres of the land as a “highest priority conservation area,” in a report provided to the township. The land was previously owned by the county, which operated the Parkhouse Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, but was sold for $41 million to Mid-Atlantic Healthcare in 2014. See the Upper Providence Township website for more information on the Parkhouse tract and to subscribe for public meeting notifications.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 2/6/2024