Sketch Plan Proposes Nine Homes at Pruss Hill Road

LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – A revised sketch plan of a proposed housing community at the northeast end of Lower Pottsgrove Township, which was first discussed and received preliminary approval during 2005, has been re-introduced to the township Planning Commission.

The proposal is currently named the “Falls at Pruss Hill Road.” The property is located on the north side of Pruss Hill Road, near its well-known former ice pond dam and waterfall. It also is within the township’s R-1 residential zoning district.

The owner and potential developer, Sukonik Pruss Hill LP, is considering construction on nine 2-acre lots. They would be accompanied by on-site sewer and well facilities, commissioners learned.

The proposal differs substantially from a plan given preliminary approval 19 years ago, according to the developer’s engineering representative, Dane Moyer of Bursich Associates in Sanatoga. At that time it called “for twenty-eight (28) lots with public sewer,” commission minutes reflect. It reportedly has sat dormant since.

Planners Awaiting Drawings, Specifics

During a mid-July (2024) meeting, the new proposal was received by the commission but only as a sketch plan with limited information. Both township Fire Marshal Lew Babel and the township engineering firm, McCarthy Engineering Associates Inc., have issued letters containing comments on the sketch.

Commission members are awaiting more complete drawings and project specifics.

Minutes of the discussion indicate:

• The project will require waivers to eliminate curbs and sidewalks, in an attempt to give the proposed development “a rural look and feel;”
• Its homes desirably would be built on cellar foundations rather than slabs;
• Engineers must address land grading, entrance angles, and truck-turning radius issues for vehicles needing emergency access;
• Some decisions may be needed on ownership of open space, the dam, and the road serving the lots. Minutes show the township “does not want to take ownership of the dam.” The road width, and whether the road would remain private or be dedicated to Lower Pottsgrove, also are matters yet to be determined by the township Board of Commissioners. Widths of 24, 28, and 30 feet were briefly discussed.

Photo by Travels With The Post