Reeds Restaurant & Nightclub
Reeds occupies a split zoned parcel of land just west of the intersection of DeKalb and Skippack Pikes. The parcel totals approximately 22 acres of which 17 acres are zoned R1 - Residential and the balance are zoned R2 - Residential. Much of the property is heavily vegetated open space, floodplain, floodway and wetlands. The front portion of the property is presently occupied by Reeds Restaurant & Nightclub and its parking lot. Franklin Realty, a developer, originally proposed demolishing Reeds to build 180 condominium apartments in a "55+", age restricted, community. Franklin presented a preliminary review of those plans at the February 13th, 2007, meeting of the Planning Commission. They showed six buildings of 30 units, each with underground parking. Each building was to be 3½ stories tall reaching approximately 53 feet to the roof peak. Approximately 35 residents attended the meeting and raised several concerns including the impact on traffic, the height of the structures and the impact that a high density development would have on the neighborhood. The Planning Commission had concerns similar to that of the neighbors. Members of the Commission specifically mentioned as concerns building height, total number of units, setbacks, traffic impact and access. On June 5, 2007, Franklin held a meeting with the immediate neighbors of the parcel. At that meeting, they reviewed a revised concept for the site. This latest plan shows 120 units in 6 buildings of 20 units each with building height reduced from 3½ to 2½ stories. The revised plans are available as a pdf file, here. (Please "right click" to "save as" and be patient, the file is large and will take time to download.) On Monday, July 9, 2007, the Board of Supervisors held a special meeting so that Franklin could informally present their plans. Minutes of that meeting are available on the Township website, here. A group of immediate neighbors has formed in opposition to the proposal under the name Residents for the Appropriate Development at Reeds (RADAR). Their letter to the BOS is available in pdf format, here. WRO is opposed to plan as currently proposed, full statement (pdf) available here. We are encouraging further discussion among the Township, Franklin and residents to see whether the proposal can be revised by Franklin to the satisfaction of the community. This is not to say that the proposal has no merit. For a list of "pros and cons", please click here. Information on the stormwater management impact is available, here. To receive updates on any redevelopment of Reeds, please join WhitpainResidents.org. If you'd like to share your views on converting these properties from restaurant / nightclub to residential, please contact us at intersection@WhitpainResidents.org.