Eastern Pennsylvania United Methodist Conference presents 4,000‑sq‑ft addition proposal to Lower Providence board

Representatives for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church presented a land development plan to the Lower Providence Board of Supervisors on July 16 that proposes a 4,000‑square‑foot meeting‑space addition and accessibility renovations to a building constructed in the 1970s.

Bill McNaney of Robert E. Lam, the project architect, said the property is just under 2 acres at the southwest corner of Monroe Boulevard and Madison Avenue. Henry Moore and other church representatives described the project as a long‑overdue renovation to make the facility more welcoming and accessible and to provide meeting space for conference events and regional ministries.

McNaney said the addition is primarily meeting space and that restroom improvements are part of interior renovations to the existing building. The submission includes a rain garden to manage increased impervious area. McNaney said the Township Sewer Authority determined no additional sewer allocation is required for the project, and staff listed forthcoming documents that would follow if the plan is approved (land development agreement and stormwater maintenance agreement).

The applicant requested two waivers: (1) from the sidewalk requirement along one frontage because existing utilities and a steep 6:1 slope make construction difficult without retaining walls, and (2) from additional landscaping requirements because mature trees already exist on the site. Board members asked for clarifications on linear footage for sidewalk obligations (engineers estimated roughly 500 linear feet total) and for a rough building‑cost ballpark; the architect offered a broad estimate of about $300 per square foot for the addition as a rough figure.

No vote was scheduled; the applicant was told the board will consider the application at its next meeting. Staff and the applicant agreed to follow up with answers to outstanding questions and to forward any requested follow‑up material to the board ahead of the next meeting.

What happens next: the board will vote on the land development plan at its August meeting after receiving any requested clarifications and supplementary materials.