Finally! Upper Gwynedd Approves 60 Cornerstone Apartments

Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly quantified cost-burdened households in Montco. Approximately 1-out-of-2 rental households spends more than 30% of their paycheck on housing. 

After more than two years of contentious community debate, the Upper Gwynedd Township Board of Commissioners closed the book on a workforce housing proposal that will net 60 apartment homes near the Pennbrook train station. 

As a result, five dozen families and individuals will get to write their stories in the North Penn community without being saddled with budget-wrecking rents that have defined recent years in the rental market. 

On the agenda Monday night were two action items for the all-Democratic board’s consideration:  a conditional use application and final land development. The Walters Group, doing business as Upper Gwynedd Family Apartments, LLC, sought approval to construct 60 units (1, 2, and 3 bedrooms), 117 parking spaces, and associated site improvements at 1500 Pennbrook Parkway – a half mile from the Pennbrook train station off Church Road. The development will be called Cornerstone at Pennbrook. 

Advocates Showed Up 

Amy Faga, a retired teacher who taught at North Wales Elementary School, recounted working with families who had to leave the district because of a lack of affordable options to live. 

“Their children deserve the opportunity to attend good public schools,” Faga said. 

Kristyn DiDominick, executive director of Bucks-Mont Collaborative, moved her family from the Lansdale area after struggling to find an affordable home to hold their growing family. She shared with the board her desire for a community where essential workers have a chance to thrive. 

“I want the people who cared so deeply for our kids—as well as the teachers, nurses, firefighters, and other essential workers who keep this community running— to be able to live and work here. This proposal isn’t about abstract units; it’s about these folks – our neighbors….They should be able to live where they serve,” DiDominick said. 

She added, “From my work, I know that we need more attainable homes in Upper Gwynedd and across Montgomery County. Right now, 46% of renters here—and nearly half across Montco—are paying over 30% of their income just on rent; they are cost-burdened. Imagine what families could invest in—childcare, local businesses, savings—if they weren’t forced to spend so much just to keep a roof over their heads.” 

Mark Connelly, also of Upper Gwynedd, agreed: “We, as a community, need to do something to address affordable housing.” 

The parcel where Cornerstone will be constructed has been vacant and for sale for years, a point not lost on resident Dennis Wendt. The site will have bike lanes, proximity to transit, and a walkable neighborhood, he said. 

The Philadelphia metro region ranks as one of the most expensive in the nation, according to multiple real estate companies. Mike Hays, director of Montco 30%  Project, shared his parents' story with the overflow crowd. 

“Future Cornerstone residents are really just regular people. People like my dad, who grew up near Cheltenham just outside of Philadelphia, helped build this county’s residential developments as a finish carpenter for over 30 years. My mom, a native of Glenside, drove school buses for First Student and the Upper Dublin School District. As they both approached retirement age, they fell on difficult times as business slowed for my dad. They moved to a mobile home park in Hatfield 10 years ago,” Hays explained. 

“Of course, they desired something better. Over the summer, my parents moved to a development in the state of Delaware very similar to Cornerstone at Pennbrook. They met the 60% AMI requirement. They have money left over after paying the rent to spend in town on restaurants, trips, and other small luxuries that support the local economy,” he said. 

This development has the potential to transform the lives of 60 individuals and families.

The Naysayers 

This public meeting had a more formal feel from the beginning because, as a conditional use hearing, it was quasi-judicial. Complete with a court stenographer, parties had the ability to call “witnesses” and ask questions of participants. 

Upper Gwynedd resident Carl Smith, who has spearheaded the opposition to Cornerstone at Pennbrook, was represented by an attorney, Christopher Papa of Lawrence County. However, Smith was not able to directly question the developer’s professionals because Smith does not live within 500 feet of the proposed development. 

Papa, who is the solicitor for the City of New Castle Zoning Hearing Board, attempted to throw up a few roadblocks to either delay the public hearing or call into question the suitability of Walters Group’s professional staff. For instance, he challenged the qualifications of the land use professional, which was not sustained by township solicitor Lauren Gallagher, who ran the hearing. 

Overall, the opposition’s arguments fit into a few different categories: 

• Harm to neighboring property values – Fred Hencken, a Realtor with Keller Williams, was accepted as an “expert witness” related to real estate. Originally offered by Papa to offer testimony about the threat to property values, Hencken faced questioning from Township Commissioner Gregory Moll. 

Hencken could not think of a single example of a development similar to a multi-family affordable development in Montgomery County or elsewhere that reduced neighboring property values. 

“I’d really have to take a look,” Hencken said. 

“Are you guessing?” Moll asked. 

Commissioner Greg Moll speaks during the Nov. 17, 2025 hearing.

Teresa Price, who was also represented by Papa and lives near the Pennbrook train station, raised the point as well but provided no evidence. 

While one can cherrypick an individual study on the Internet to prove just about any point being made, a preponderance of analyses of the impact to property values shows that workforce housing developments either have no impact on neighboring property values or actually increase them. 

• Traffic increase –  Walters Group paid for a revised traffic study (January of this year), which predicted an increase of 30 additional trips during peak travel times. 

• “Culture” of rental communities – Price, the resident close to the train station, noted her experience from Norristown where she previously resided. She does not want to see more rental homes added to the Upper Gwynedd community. Hillary Devlin, who was also granted party status, said she is not necessarily opposed to affordable housing – just not in this location. Based on her experience, the parents of children from rental homes are sometimes absent in the community. 

“We need strong families and role models,” Devlin said. 

Strangely, several opponents asked questions about the half-court basketball playground that will be part of the development. Several audience members laughed and hissed when it was revealed that 12 electric vehicle charging stations would be included, too. 

• Property management – Several speakers requested 24/7 on-site property management. Walters Group manages their own properties and someone is on-site at least during business hours, said Ed Speitel, Jr., who represented the developer. 

By the end of the evening, following questions by several commissioners and an opportunity for all to speak, Vice President Rebecca Moodie motioned to grant approval. It was seconded by Commissioner Moll and unanimously approved. Board President Katherine Carter was absent from this meeting. 

It took over two years to bring Cornerstone home in Upper Gwynedd. This experience illustrates the level of persistence, commitment, and courage needed by local leaders to see a proposal through. The board endured heated debate, threats of lawsuit, and a local election where their motives were called into question. 

But it is worth it. We face a housing crisis, one which has seen Montgomery County return to eviction rates as high as they were before the pandemic. One-out-of two rental households spends more than 30% of their paycheck on housing. 

We can do better, but it will take work and courage. Thank you, Commissioners Liz McNaney, Denise Hull, Carter, Moodie, and Moll.