Letter: Lower Providence manager responds to concerns - The Times Herald
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Letter: Lower Providence manager responds to concerns Richard Gestrich Lower Providence Township Manager Saturday, May 26,2012 I am the township manager for Lower Providence Township and I am writing this letter to respond to the concerns raised by Gary Euler, president of Euler Industrial and Commercial Real Estate, regarding the potential purchase of the former Norristown Ford property.Mr. Euler's letter was recently published in The Times Herald. At the request of Bestline Equipment, an informal meeting was held at the township and attended by Bestline representatives, Mr. Euler, the township solicitor, the township'S director of community development and the interim township manager.Contrary to Mr. Euler's portrayal of the township, it is the township'S intent to hold these informal meetings with potential owners or developers of properties in order to provide guidance in the approval process.At every opportunity, the township endeavors to offer an open and welcoming approach to business and job creation within the community. Certainly in this case, the opportunity to create 30 to 40 good paying jobs would have been, and continues to be, a strong and primary objective of the township. The township has worked diligently to attract 53 new businesses which created an additional 457 jobs in the last two years.Although the attraction of new business is important, the township has not lost sight of the need to retain and sustain existing employers.In that regard, the township recently took strong steps to retain its two largest employers, PJM Interconnection and Quest Diagnostics accounting for more than 1,200 jobs. The township firmly stands by its commitment to further job growth within the community and commits itself to fostering an atmosphere of cooperation in any of its informal planning meetings.As was the case with Bestline, sometimes the constraints of the existing Zoning Ordinance may require that an application be presented to other agencies, including the Zoning Hearing Board, for their ultimate approval.The referral of an applicant to the Zoning Hearing Board should not be viewed as a negative step, but rather as a step towards compliance with the applicable zoning provisions put in to place to protect all the property owners within the township. Lower Providence Township remains an active partner in the creation of sustainable and compatible business uses within the township.Furthermore, the township prioritizes the creation of quality employment in our community. Respectfully, Richard Gestrich
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