Riverfront Developer Settles With Neighbor, Township Tables Vote

After years of dispute with neighboring property owners, Righters Ferry Associates have reached an agreement with Bridgehead LP and Footbridge LP, resolving the companies' problems with the developer's 550-plus apartment plan.

The agreement "resolved [the company's] disputes as they relate to this plan ... as well as future development issues on the Righters Ferry property and adjacent Bridgehead / Footbridge property," said Jonathan Spergel, the applicant's representative, at a Building and Planning Committee meeting Wednesday night.

Spergel identified opposition from the two companies as a major reason for delays in approval for Righters Ferry Associates' plans, calling the resolution "an important agreement" that will make the development process move more quickly.

On Nov. 5, the Lower Merion Township Planning Commission reviewed Righters Ferry Associates' conditional use application to build an apartment complex in the floodplain, and recommended approval subject to a series of conditions.

The matter was before the Board of Commissioners' Building and Planning Committee on Wednesday night, at which point commissioners raised several issues. One was the use of hardy board as a material, a concern raised by Commissioner George Manos and later mentioned by Commissioner Brian Gordon as well, who said the material appeared to be cheap and potentially defective.

The board ultimately voted to table the matter until next week's special Building and Planning Committee meeting.