The Lower Towamensing Township Board of Supervisors granted a time extension for Blue Mountain Plaza, a retail center proposed on about 5 acres at the intersection of Lower Smith Gap Road and Covered Bridge Road.

The extension was granted until Nov. 6.

Developer Jay Cooperman presented plans for a restaurant at a township planning commission meeting in June. The complex, to be located on land owned by Dynamic Capital Properties LLC, would have three retail spaces, one of which could be an ice cream shop.

The project would use a non-transient community well, with DEP approval obtained for testing.

At that meeting, township zoning officer Duane Dellecker raised concerns about a proposed 13,200-square-foot second-floor storage area above the 6,000-square-foot restaurant. He questioned its intended use, noting it had previously been planned for apartments.

Cooperman said that it could potentially be used for catering but no definite use has been determined. Dellecker said any future use, such as a banquet facility, could affect parking requirements and zoning approvals.

Additional zoning concerns included outdoor patio noise, floodplain restrictions, building elevations, impervious surface coverage, parking calculations, loading areas, signs and traffic aisle widths.

Dellecker said the plans may require revisions and possibly variances.

Township engineer Jill Smith said the stormwater management plans and NPDES permit were based on an outdated development proposal and must be updated.

She noted the current proposal includes different stormwater facilities, rain gardens and infiltration testing requirements. Smith also raised concerns about parking areas shown in the floodplain and said road and shoulder widths should be documented to determine whether roadway improvements may be required.

In January 2022, Cooperman said the complex would be called Blue Mountain Plaza, and that the 5-acre lot would consist of three buildings: a convenience store with a gas station and a building for a car wash beside it, one large, two-story building containing a restaurant, three retail spaces and 15 apartments on the second floor.

That plan also included two entrance/exits, as well as two stormwater detention basins. Cooperman said at that time they were hopeful that public sewer would come into the area and that if it didn’t, then they have a contingency plan for on-site waste.

The parcel is located in an area zoned Village Center or V-C, and some of the proposed uses are not permitted in V-C.

A gas station and a drive-thru restaurant are not permitted in that zoning district. The zoning does allow for a car wash, retail stores, convenience stores, restaurants and apartments.

There was also an issue with the number of apartments, as the zoning ordinance requires a minimum lot area of 4,600-square-feet for each apartment. For 15 apartments, the developer would need to have 69,000 square feet.

The code also requires that each use on a site have 1 acre, which is 43,560 square feet, but the developer was asking for a variance to allow them to reduce it to 2,900-square-feet per apartment, which would give them the 15 apartments on 1 acre.

Because the site is 5 acres, it can hold five uses. Dellecker said at that time there are a total of eight uses: apartments, restaurant, three retail spaces, car wash, convenience store and gas station. The site would have to be at least 8 acres.