Wednesday night, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Summit Realty's tentative sketch plan and conditional use application for a CVS pharmacy at the corner of Rock Hill Road and Belmont Avenue.

Plans for the site include the demolition of five buildings, including the gas station at 726 Belmont Ave. A 13,112-square-foot CVS Pharmacy would be constructed, and Summit Realty would also construct a stormwater management system and make traffic improvements at the Rock Hill Road and Belmont Avenue intersection.

Summit Realty presented their plans before the Building and Planning Committee last Wednesday.

At the committee meeting, board vice president Paul McElhaney said he would like to see the building with a stone facade rather than the brick facade Summit Realty had presented.

Building and Planning Director Bob Duncan said Wednesday that CVS representatives had agreed to that change on the three visible walls. On the west wall with the drive-through lane, the front facing Rock Hill Road and the east side facing Belmont Avenue, the applicant will use stone in place of brick. Stucco will still be used on the facade as well, Duncan said.

The board voted unanimously to approve the tentative sketch plan and conditional use approval to use commercial zoning rather than Rock Hill Overlay District zoning. Commissioner Jenny Brown was absent.

A tentative sketch plan is essentially a concept plan, and is required for all non-residential development in Lower Merion Township, Assistant Planning Director Chris Leswing explained.

The company will need to return with specific, detailed plans for the preliminary plan stage, and those too must receive approval for the project to move forward.

More:

• Developer: CVS Project Would Improve Traffic (Oct. 12, 2012)
• Trash Collection Fees To Jump After Divided Vote (Oct. 18, 2012)