West Norriton Meets over Markley Farms Zoning Sept. 30

The West Norriton township planning commission will meet to discuss re-zoning issues related to the Markley Farms tract in West Norriton on Monday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the West Norriton township building meeting room, according to the township website.

Specifically, according to the township, the owners wish to re-zone the property from RE-Recreational and RA-Agricultural to R2-Residential.

The owners of the property, which housed the old Markley Farms Swim & Tennis Club, requested that West Norriton rezone the tract, at 56 acres, to allow for single-family dwellings, according to The Times Herald.

The tract is hemmed in by Oakland Drive, Plowshare Road, Chestnut Avenue, Wagonwheel Road and Stable Road.   

Jason Bobst, West Norriton Township Manager, said that the executor of the trust, Scott Markley, and his lawyer contacted the township about a possible rezoning. 

“They want to market it for redevelopment,” Bobst said.

R-2 permits single-family homes where the lot is at least 17,000 square feet, but townhouses are excluded.

“We asked them to do a yield study and I believe the number was 78 homes. That takes into account the riparian corridor for the creek that runs through it and the flood plain that goes with Markley’s Pond,” said Bobst.

The West Norriton board of commissioners decided against holding a zoning hearing in 2012 for the Freedom Valley YMCA, who wanted to build a $19 million YMCA structure. Most of the township residents who attended the public meetings about the plan spoke against it, and the potential growth of disruption and traffic.