Vacant gas station property at 1258 N. Charlotte St.
LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – Safety concerns, and what local officials claim are obvious appearance problems, at the northeast corner of North Charlotte and Mervine streets in the township are likely to warrant the attention of Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Zoning Officer and Director of Codes Keith Place in the near future.
The retaining wall at Redner's seen from ground level ...
Members of the township Board of Commissioners, during the second of their two monthly meetings last week (May 21, 2009) in the municipal building, 2199 Buchert Rd., worried about the safety of an unfenced retaining wall that surrounds a portion of the parking lot at Redner’s Warehouse Market, and expressed dismay over the impression a nearby vacant gas station made on passers-by.
Commissioner Anthony Doyle addressed the retaining wall as the board wrapped up its official agenda. Although Redner’s Mervine Street frontage includes a wrought iron-look fence along the sidewalk, most of the retaining wall that sits 10- to 20-feet north of Mervine is unfenced. The interlocking block wall ranges from roughly 4- to 10-feet in height.
“I’m afraid somebody’s going to fall off the top there and hurt themselves,” Doyle said, unless the fencing is extended.
... and above the parking lot, from north of Mervine Street.
“I agree the fence is an important factor,” board President Bruce Foltz chimed in, and then added, “and that gas station’s not getting any better either.”
The abandoned gas station and convenience store on the corner, just west of Redner’s, was once the subject of sale negotiations for use as a possible car wash location, according to township Manager Rodney Hawthorne. That deal was never completed, but gasoline storage tanks were removed from the property, he added.
What remains now, commissioners agreed, are a weathered building, unattractive piles of dirt, and clumps of weeds. “That’s not a great entrance” to the township, Foltz observed.
The 1258 N. Charlotte St. lot, sized at 17,600 square feet, currently is being marketed for sale on behalf of unidentified owners by Remax Reliance of Souderton PA. It is promoting the site for potential retail or gas station use at an asking price of $275,000.
Hawthorne said he would contact owners or representatives of the gas station property and discuss its condition with them. Codes Director Place, Hawthorne added, would be asked to inspect the retaining wall’s condition and discuss it with Redner’s management.
Related (to the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners’ May 21 meeting):
- Sorry, No Ice Cream Available Here
- Five Roads On Town Re-Paving List
- Bursich Wins Electrical Code Reviews
- Townships Agree To Interchange Planning
- Klotz Congratulates Kropp On Judge Win
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