Owner Timid on Tenancy When Dow Chemical Moves to Collegeville

When Dow Chemical moves from its McKean and Norristown roads site to Collegeville, an office complex on 133 acres will become vacant.

Now, property owners Rohm & Haas Co. are anxious that only one tenant could make use of the site.

Thus, the owners have requested a change of zoning from Lower Gwynedd Township Supervisors to allow for multiple tenants in the same district, according to township Manager Larry Comunale.

Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize advertisement for the zoning language change to the D-1 Industrial District. The change will also affect the F-1 zoning district.

"They are concerned they will not find a single tenant for the research facility," Comunale told the board at a voting session meeting last week at Foulkeways.

Comunale said the township was lucky to have corporations like Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, Merck and Dow in the township.

Comunale said since it is a request to change language in the zoning code, and not a special exception or variance, the zoning hearing board will not hear the case. The zoning change will be reviewed by the planning commission, he said.

"It's virtually impossible to lease the facility out under the current zoning," he said.

Comunale said future tenancy would be just office space. He said if the zoning amendment is successful, then the property owner could market the property for multiple tenants.

He said the zoning amendment would occur by the end of September.