The proposal by the 128-year-old Gladwyne, Pa. club calls for removal of its old pool and construction of a new one. The club wants to start the project in September, for completion in time for the 2019 season. Improvements to the club’s golf course, driving range and short-game area are also planned.
Officials at Philadelphia Country Club (PCC) in Gladwyne, Pa., are seeking township approval for a pool project at the club, which traces its origin to 1890. And according to the Main Line Times, a publication covering the western Philadelphia suburbs, the Lower Merion Township Planning Commission has given its blessing to the project.
Fred Fromhold, the attorney representing the club, told members of the planning commission that the amount of new impervious coverage would be minor, with the new pool covering less than one-10th of 1 percent of the lot area of the club.
The Main Line Times reported that a Lower Merion zoning officer reviewed plans for the new pool and ruled that the project did not require a special exception from the zoning board, because it would not increase membership, staff, operations or third-party use beyond anything previously approved by the zoning hearing board.
When the Lower Merion Environmental Advisory Council reviewed the plan, it recommended the applicant use native plant material.
Jim Black, President of PCC, said the pool normally closes for the year on Labor Day and reopens on Memorial Day. Work on the pool project is expected to start in early September and Black told the Main Line Times that it should be completed in time for next year’s season.
In addition to the pool project, the club also is planning improvements to the 27-hole Centennial golf course and add a driving range and a short game area.
Philadelphia Country Club was one of the first six members of the United States Golf Association, and its golf course hosted the U.S. Open in 1939.
For a rendering of the new pool and other details, see the Main Line Times’ full report at http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/mainlinetimes/news/gladwyne-s-philadelphia-country-club-plans-new-pool/article_f97e46b9-dd71-5748-b054-2f2f2499eb34.html
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