Monday, May 6, 2013
The Lower Merion commissioners have to approve a liquor license transfer before the restaurant can open. A group of neighbors don't want them to.
A vote to approve the liquor license transfer that would allow an Iron Hill Brewery to open in Ardmore Plaza was tabled again on Wednesday by the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners. According to commissioner Steven Lindner and president Liz Rogan, the restaurant requested the delay to give it more time to address concerns regarding the impact the business would have on neighboring residential areas. The township now has until June 20 to approve or deny the transfer. While the vote was pushed, Rogan took public comment from a large crowd, led by a trio of pastors from Main Line churches, that was uniformly hostile to the idea of another restaurant in Ardmore. The concern animating each of the speakers was the danger traffic in the area …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Commissioners discussed the issue at Wednesday's Building and Planning Committee meeting.
Prompted by LA Fitness's recent request to operate a 24/7 gym in the Wynnewood Shopping Center, Lower Merion commissioners began discussion Wednesday on whether to limit the operation of 24/7 businesses in the township. "The township is often a leader in regulating and managing what happens in our community and I think this may be something that the board wants to very carefully but very seriously consider," said Board President Liz Rogan, who had asked that the matter be placed on the agenda. The purpose of discussing the matter, Rogan said, was to determine if commissioners were interested in having staff research possible limitations on certain types of 24/7 businesses and eventually present to the board specific concepts for how to do …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The $58 million budget does not raise taxes for next year, but some officials foresee problems not far down the road.
The lack of a tax increase did not prevent Lower Merion’s 2013 budget-approval meeting from being a long, contentious affair Wednesday night. The Board of Commissioners, at the end of a meeting that exceeded four hours, voted 10-4 in favor of the $58 million ledger. The vote broke down along party lines, with majority Democrats in support and minority Republicans against. The budget includes a deficit of $2.8 million that is offset with onetime revenue from commercial property tax settlements. Many commissioners said they needed to reduce the deficit to mitigate the next tax increase. Commissioner Jenny Brown, a Republican, proposed eliminating longevity pay and deferred compensation plans for township employees, beginning in 2013. But …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Should senior management be rewarded for performance or for years of service?
As the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners discussed the township's 2013 budget at Wednesday night's Finance Committee meeting, one major point of contention was merit pay for management staff: Should staff receive additional pay based on years of service, commissioners asked, or should staff be rewarded based on outstanding performance? Currently, longevity payments are allotted, on top of salary, to some township management staff based on years of service. The township pays out approximately $250,000 each year in longevity payments for management staff (excluding police staff), Township Manager Doug Cleland said. Longevity payments have been eliminated for all township staff (aside from police staff) hired after September 2011, …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The topic again was management compensation.
Lower Merion’s Board of Commissioners held its first public hearing on the proposed 2013 budget Monday night, eliciting comment from no township residents except the commissioners themselves. Once it became clear no residents would address the proposed budget—which offsets a $2.8 million deficit with an equivalent portion of a $6.9 million commercial tax-payment settlement—Commissioner Jenny Brown sought to discuss the township’s practice of deferred-compensation plans for certain employees. The topic has been a frequent point of contention among board members, who include 10 Democrats and four Republicans. Several Democrats, chief among them Board President Liz Rogan, have voiced support of the township's compensation policies as helping …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Lower Merion officials will consider whether to streamline the process of adapting former religious centers for new uses.
After a month's hiatus, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners returns to business Wednesday night, leading its agenda with a public hearing on building conversions. Township officials are considering whether to clarify and streamline the process by which the owner of former religious buildings and certain other historic structures might adapt them for residential use. The conversion ordinance under consideration would help adapt properties for multi-family uses, such as apartments or condominium units. Those uses are not permitted under the current zoning. Several property owners have approached the township this year for this purpose, including at First Baptist Church of Ardmore and Odd Fellows Hall and Gladwyne Methodist Church. The …
Friday, August 3, 2012
Residents can weigh in Sept. 12.
A proposal to make it easier for people in Lower Merion to renovate former houses of worship and other historical buildings into homes will go to a public hearing a week earlier than anticipated. The township's Board of Commissioners decided Wednesday night to set a public hearing for Sept. 12, rather than the Sept. 19 that had been planned the previous week. The board has a summer recess so will not meet again until Sept. 6. Several property owners have approached the township in recent months to seek help retrofitting churches and other old community buildings, which prompted the proposed new policy. Some commissioners still have objections to parts of the policy, such as the inclusion of buildings with cemeteries, which require costly …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Lower Merion is considering how to respond to a growing number of historic, non-residential buildings falling out of use.
Residents of Lower Merion will have their say in September on a proposed policy governing how the owners of religious institutions and other non-residential historic structures can repurpose the buildings. The Board of Commissioners voted 9-2 at Wednesday night's meeting to schedule a Sept. 19 public hearing on the subject, which was discussed at length earlier this month. Commissioners made clear there would be several revisions before any ordinance is adopted. Half a dozen property owners have recently asked the township how and when they can convert all or part of their religious sanctuaries or club buildings, said building and planning director Bob Duncan. His staff drafted ordinance language (attached to this article) that would give …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Thomas J. Walsh, a former Ardmore Patch editor, will start work on July 25.
The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners on Wednesday night approved the appointment of career journalist Thomas J. Walsh as the new township public information officer, after debating whether the position was a necessary expense in tough economic times. The vote was 9-3, with Commissioners Philip Rosenzweig, Jenny Brown and Lewis Gould voting against. Scott Zelov and Jane Delheim were absent. The township public information officer serves as the liason to the media, and will also "be responsible for developing, organizing and coordinating a comprehensive public information program, along with maximizing the production potential of the Township's Government Access Television Channel," a township press release states. Walsh has been a …
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With a 7-6 committee vote for approval, a split board could prevent steps moving forward, Commissioner Jenny Brown noted.
Following a 7-6 committee vote on Wednesday night, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with a plan to simultaneously renovate Gladwyne and Ardmore libraries. The final vote was 7-5, as Commissioner Scott Zelov was absent and Cheryl Gelber left before the vote, which took place around midnight. With several township libraries in need of repairs or upgrades, the commissioners looked in June at a plan to renovate the Gladwyne Library and Ardmore Library branches simultaneously. The renovations, which include elevators at each site, would be done after the Bala Library is completed in 2013. Since the projects are similar, Director of Libraries Christine Steckel advocated for a joint bid, telling the commissioners that…
Josh
10:07 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
What if they metered all spaces in front of the strip with a free 10/15 - but pay 50 cents for every 30 minutes w a 90 limit (no free minutes), handicap qualified would be free up to 90 but can be ticketed after that limit. Force people to park across the street and improve safety of crosswalks. One revenue generating idea- pedestrian walk violation cameras - highly visible, blinking lights and … more ›