After plenty of fanfare and publicity, it turns out that Brian O’Neill will NOT be developing the Rock Hill Rd. corridor. Previously, his company purchased an 8-acre parcel on the site of an old quarry which was to become the “Gateway to Lower Merion”. The original plan involved 330 living units in 4-story buildings. The project was highly anticipated (and led to the widening of Rock Hill Rd. to ease expected traffic woes) partially because Rock Hill Rd. is arguably the last vestige of the township’s industrial past. With old quarries and ruins of old mills (like the one that most recently was occupied by the Plant Outlet, it is not the most refined or picturesque street in the township. So the idea that it would be developed (complete with sidewalks and grassy areas) and act as a welcome point to people entering the township from the expressway exits on nearby Belmont Avenue was appealing to many local residents.
O’Neill is no stranger to developing large housing projects in the area; the Corinthian on Presidential Blvd. was one of his buildings as is the soon-to-be-finished Royal Athena by the river on Righters Ferry Rd. No statement was given as to why the project has been abandoned (and that parcel as well as another that O’Neill owns on Rock Hill being put up for sale). In the recent past, the company has concentrated on building treatment and mental health facilities, so there is a possibility that residential projects are no longer the focus, but nothing has been confirmed and that is just conjecture at this point. The failure of this development to come to fruition does not flatter the township, and local officials as well as residents are hoping that someone else adopts O’Neill’s plan or suggests another way to improve the Rock Hill Rd. corridor.
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