Montgomery County · Franconia · MCPC #24-0106-001
640 Lower Road
640 Lower Road, Franconia, PA · 208,145 sq ft non-residential, warehouse · 17.92 acres
About this project
A developer plans to merge three parcels at 640 Lower Road in Franconia Township and tear down the buildings now on the land. In their place would go a warehouse and distribution building of about 208,000 square feet, with supporting site infrastructure, on roughly 18 acres. The county planning commission generally supports the plan but suggests more variety in the planned shrubs.
County planning commission: Supports, with comments
Issues raised: Landscaping uses only four shrub varieties across 546 shrubs
- Applicant
- Dara Property Group LLC & L4 Realty LLC
- Zoning
- LI
- Demolition
- Existing buildings on the site
Filing history
- 2024-05-08 · MCPC #24-0106-001 · Land Dev Plan, Prelim Plan · 208,145 sq ft
County review letters
2024-05-08 · FRANC 24-0106-001r.pdf
The full picture AI research · Nov 1, 2026
A developer wants to combine three parcels at 640 Lower Road in Franconia Township, tear down the existing buildings, and build one warehouse and distribution building. It would be about 208,000 square feet on roughly 18 acres. The plan also includes the driveways, parking, and stormwater and landscaping work that go with it.
Township planning commission minutes from July 2024 show the plan was in its second round of review. The building is being proposed without a named tenant. The plan sends trucks in and out by Hagey Road and passenger cars by Lower Road, with a landscaped buffer along Lower Road. Residents at that meeting raised concerns about the car entrance across from their homes. The county planning commission generally supports the plan but asked for more variety in the shrubs.
No developer website, news coverage, or final approval was found.
What it could mean nearby
- Trucks are planned to use Hagey Road and cars to use Lower Road, so truck traffic would be kept off the road facing the homes.
- Residents have raised concerns about the passenger entrance on Lower Road across from homes.
- A planted buffer along Lower Road is planned to soften the view of the building.
- No tenant has been named, so the number of jobs and the truck volume are not yet known.
Where it stands
As of the latest records found, the plan was under township review in 2024 and had a generally supportive county review. A final township approval was not confirmed. Next usually come a township planning commission recommendation and a vote by the elected supervisors, often with conditions, followed by permits and construction.
- Jul 2024 Township planning commission discussed the plan, then in its second submission, at its July 1 meeting.
- Jun 2024 Township planning commission reportedly took the plan up for formal review.
- May 8, 2024 Latest county planning filing for the project.
- Mar 2024 Zoning relief for parking was reportedly granted by the township.
Want to weigh in? The Franconia Township Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors review land development plans at public meetings, and residents can comment there; the township website lists agendas and dates.
Who's behind it
Dara Property Group LLC and L4 Realty LLC
Around the web
- Planning Commission minutes, July 1, 2024Franconia Township · Jul 1, 2024Records the 640 Lower Road land development in second submission, with no tenant, truck access by Hagey Road, cars by Lower Road, a Lower Road buffer, and resident concerns.
Planning terms explained
- Land development
- The township's formal review of a site plan for building on, combining or changing land.
- Parcel merger
- Combining several separate property lots into one larger lot.
- Speculative building
- A building constructed before a tenant or buyer has been lined up.
- Buffer
- A strip of plantings or open space that screens a building from neighbors or roads.
- Zoning relief
- Permission to depart from a specific zoning rule, such as a parking requirement.
Researched by AI from public sources on Nov 1, 2026. It can make mistakes, so check the linked sources and the municipality before relying on it.
Scope estimate for contractors
Estimated construction value: $27.1M
- ~2,081 roofing squares (assumes 1 story)
- ~520 tons of cooling (rule of thumb 400 sq ft/ton)
- ~17.9 acres of site work (grading, stormwater, landscaping)
- Combining three parcels into one lot
- Demolition of existing buildings
- Warehouse and distribution building with associated infrastructure
- Site landscaping with shrubs
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