Resident urges leniency on Fire 1 parking; commission says ordinance requires compliant parking

Resident Patricia Walsh told the Warrington Township Planning Commission she attended an event at Fire 1 and found the parking adequate and safe for attendees.

"I went there to an affair... the parking lot is fine. It's safe," Patricia Walsh said, adding she wore dress shoes and had no trouble walking from the area into the firehouse. She asked what the township expected the organization to do to comply with zoning requirements.

The commission’s Chair responded that the township enforces adopted ordinance requirements. The Chair said that while people may be parking there, the area is a demolition site and not a compliant parking lot. "If you're going to put in a parking lot, you have to do it in accordance with the requirements that are in the ordinance," the Chair said.

The Chair told Walsh that the issue will appear on a future agenda and that more public comment will be welcome when the item is scheduled. No formal action was taken at this meeting on Fire 1; the discussion was recorded as public comment and a planning staff follow-up item.

Next steps: the Fire 1 site plan remains under review by township professionals; whether the organization must pave the area will be clarified in future proceedings.