Attendees of a June 26, 2025 Lower Providence Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting are pictured clapping after the board denied an application concerning a supportive short term housing project proposal in Eagleville. (Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Area residents staunchly opposed to a proposed supportive short term housing project for people experiencing homelessness secured a win after the Lower Providence Township Zoning Board rendered a denial.
More than 60 people turned up to the Thursday evening meeting at the Lower Providence Township administration building in anticipation of the unanimous verdict against the Philadelphia-based Resources for Human Development that came after months of testimony, information materials and a three-hour public comment session.
“We do not consider preferences or desires. We simply must review the code and the evidence presented to make a decision,” said Lower Providence Township Zoning Hearing Board member Chris Gerdes.
RHD sought to “establish Supportive Short-Term Housing as a use on the grounds of an existing substance abuse treatment facility” and appealed “a determination from the zoning officer denying the proposed use at this location” in the township’s R-1 Residential Institutional Overlay District.”
RHD representatives also “assert[ed] a substantive validity challenge to the ordinance claiming total exclusion of supportive short-term housing, together with any other relief deemed necessary or appropriate by the board.”
Additionally, the nonprofit maintained that “the zoning ordinance violates the fair housing act of 1968 as amended” and “violates the township’s human relations ordinance,” Gerdes said.
The five-member board considered four matters related to ongoing application and voted unanimous to deny each one. Board member Joseph Pucci made the motion, which was seconded by board member Gary Brown. Board member Travis DeCaro was absent.
“It seemed like a great decision. They seemed like they really took everybody’s opinion into matter and seemed like they really gave a great … resolution to the matter,” said Norristown resident Katherine Sherlock.
Nonprofit leaders had hoped to appeal a prior decision from a township zoning officer and prove their legitimate land use for a supportive short term housing project on the grounds of Eagleville Hospital. The project has been met with swift public opposition for more than a year.
“Honestly, I think it is for the best and safety of the community that they chose the way they did,” Sherlock said.
Collegeville resident Kristin Scavello agreed. She said she was “pleased” to learn of the township zoning board’s decision.
“I did not feel that we need to add [an] increased high risk population into a small condensed area,” Scavello said.
Resources for Human Development executives had hoped to introduce the initiative known as Genny’s Place. It was slated to provide occupancy for up to 60 single adults ages 18 years and older from Montgomery County for 60-to-90 days and resources to help residents live on their own in regular housing. Residents would undergo a screening process to ascertain eligibility.
While Eagleville Hospital operates a 347-bed addiction recovery facility, officials say it would remain separate from RHD’s housing and supportive services model.
Introduced in January 2024, nonprofit leaders proposed the text amendment that, if approved, would have revised the township zoning ordinance for a supportive housing proposal in an institutional overlay district.
The proposal has come about as Montgomery County deals with increasing homelessness since the closure of the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center in Norristown. Findings from the Point-in-Time Count in January are not yet available, but officials estimate the number counted at around 500 people.
Montgomery County officials have begun addressing the homelessness situation in recent months by taking a regional approach, executing leases for rooms at a Pottstown hotel and an office building in Lansdale that will soon become a 20-bed supportive short term housing facility, as well as receiving a variance from Norristown zoning board members in May for a planned facility in Norristown. Both the Lansdale and Norristown sites will be run by RHD.
RHD has faced an uphill battle in recent years as it tried to find another brick-and-mortar space for Genny’s Place after the CHOC closure. Officials settled on the Eagleville Hospital grounds after initial interest for the old Harley-Davidson dealership along Trooper Road fell through.
Opposition to the proposal has not wavered among many Lower Providence Township residents who’ve organized campaigns in person and online.
Community members launched a Concerned Citizens of Lower Providence Facebook page that attracted more than 1,500 members, an online petition amassing 1,583 signatures, a t-shirt campaign, and digital billboard. Demonstrators also participated in an April 2024 march protesting the project.
Residents time and time again have expressed concerns with security, safety concerns for children, proximity to nearby homes and schools, and the organization poised to run the operation. Opponents also identified a concentration of agencies in existence nearby such as the treatment center, Montgomery County Correctional Facility, as well as Montgomery County’s Coroner’s Office and Emergency Operations Center.
Township officials paused proceedings in late April 2024 following the staunch public opposition. Civil litigation was filed the following month by RHD in Montgomery County Court. Municipal zoning board members have conducted a series of hearings on the matter since January at Arcola Intermediate School. Most recently, nearly 50 individuals voiced their concerns about the facility proposed on the grounds of Eagleville Hospital during a May 29 public comment session where a majority expressed dissent to the proposal.
“The community has spoken, and the answer is an overwhelming no,” Audubon resident Chris Fink said last month.
Township resident Nanette Lafors has been a long-time proponent of the project and RHD. While she “kind of expected it because of all the opposition from the public,” Lafors said she doesn’t “think it’s over. It’ll continue.”
It was a sentiment shared by Owen Camuso, Resource for Human Development’s regional director for behavioral health and housing, who issued a statement on the matter following Thursday’s verdict.
“We are disappointed in the Zoning Hearing Board decision tonight. We still feel that we have a legitimate land use and will evaluate our options as it relates to next steps in Lower Providence. We know this project is essential and there is a need for Supportive Short Term Housing in Montgomery County,” Camuso told MediaNews Group.
