KING OF PRUSSIA, PA—The Upper Merion Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to adopt a zoning ordinance that will permit mixed-uses in the King of Prussia business park.

The 5-0 vote for the ordinance will now permit multifamily development as well as compatible retail. The ordinance will also provide height bonuses to mixed-use developments that incorporate Leadership in Environment and Engineering Design standards, according to planphilly.com. The new ordinance was the result of a cooperative effort between Upper Merion Township and the King of Prussia District to re-write the outdated former zoning code and subdivision and land development ordinance.

“We believe that the change in zoning from the traditional 1960's suburban office park to a dynamic, mixed-use district will trigger significant investment in the coming years,” states King of Prussia District Executive Director Eric T. Goldstein. “Now that the zoning is in place, we will turn our sights to the rest of the 'package' which includes extending the High Speed Line into the business park, creating better access from the PA Turnpike, and building a Linear Park along the prime corridor of First Avenue. The KOP Mixed-Use District is now poised to be the premier business location in the Philadelphia suburban region."

“The mixed-use zoning district repositions the old business park into a place where people can live and work in the same neighborhood, benefit from significant pedestrian and vehicular improvements, and experience high-quality residential, service retail and office developments, while mitigating vehicular traffic,” says Greg Waks, chairman of the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors. “Repositioning suburban neighborhoods in this way is key to their survival in the face of shifting demographics and modern corporate and employee desires.” See story at planphilly.com.