Council conditionally approves 435 Vanderslice subdivision and grants waiver from rear-yard buffering

Phoenixville Borough Council on Oct. 14 conditionally approved the preliminary/final subdivision plan for 435 Vanderslice Street and granted the applicant’s waiver request from the subdivision and land development ordinance buffer requirement along Needle Street.

The property, identified in the record as Chester County UPI 15-9-60 and described at the hearing as approximately 9,169 square feet, is owned by Providence Capital Group LLC. The plan divides the parcel into two lots: one retaining the existing twin dwelling and the other largely unimproved. The applicant proposed a parking area off Needle Street associated with the lot containing the existing dwelling.

Why it matters: the waiver and subdivision clear the way for future development on the second lot and modify how the property interfaces with Needle Street. Council and planning staff noted the waiver’s timing was irregular because it was submitted after the planning commission’s recommendation, but the planning commission had conditionally recommended approval at its Sept. 11, 2025 meeting.

Applicant request and council response

- Waiver requested: exemption from SALDO section 22-4-28.2 (the requirement for a vegetative buffer along the rear of properties that have frontage on two streets) so that no new 6-foot planting buffer must be installed along Needle Street.

- Applicant justification (Applicant representative, Providence Capital Group LLC): Needle Street functions “primarily as an alley” in this block, properties along Needle have parking and rear-yard, and existing conditions (overhead wires and a large tree on a neighboring property) limit feasible buffering. The applicant apologized for the late waiver request to the planning commission: “I do apologize again that that this was not brought up at the planning commission,” the representative said.

- Planning commission and staff comments (Councilmember Moore, planning liaison): the planning commission had reviewed and unanimously recommended conditional approval on Sept. 11, 2025. Moore noted staff and the commission reviewed the application and that Needle Street is narrow and serves as the rear yard/alley for properties on that block. He said the commission and borough engineers had discussed the matter and expressed disappointment that the waiver request was submitted late but acknowledged the site’s physical conditions.

Conditions and clarifications

- Council approved the subdivision with the requested waiver and included the planning-commission-recommended conditions. The borough’s staff noted a requirement coming out of the planning discussion that four replacement trees will be required if any existing tree must be removed in later development of the site.

- The waiver was approved on the basis of site-specific factors cited in the record: existing parking patterns on Needle Street, overhead utilities, and a large tree extending over the property; council and planners noted the area’s existing lack of 6-foot planting buffers along that alley.

Quotes from the record

- Applicant representative: “I do apologize again that that this was not brought up at the planning commission.”

- Councilmember Moore (planning liaison): “It was fully discussed and it was reviewed by both our land planner and by the borough engineers.”

Procedure and vote

- Motion to conditionally approve the preliminary/final subdivision plan for 435 Vanderslice (including approval of the waiver request): approved by voice vote (unanimous aye). The motion’s maker was recorded in the meeting audio but not identified by a full name on the public record; the council proceeded by voice vote and announced the motion carried.

What council did not decide

- No final development plan for the unimproved lot was presented or approved tonight; council’s action was limited to the subdivision and the waiver request. Specific future site-development details (building footprint, final parking layouts) will require separate review and permits if and when filed.

Ending

Council’s conditional approval and the granted waiver allow the property owner to proceed with recorded subdivision and preserve the borough’s ability to require replacement plantings and additional conditions at the time of any subsequent development applications.