The zoning hearing for a proposal to develop a high-rise apartment community at Plymouth Meeting Mall could finally be nearing its end, writes Kevin Tierney for More Than The Curve.

After a series of multi-hour hearings held online over the last several months, Plymouth Township’s Zoning Hearing Board was scheduled to hear oral arguments and public comments regarding the proposal on September 21 at the first in-person meeting.

This was most likely the final meeting before a decision on the proposal will be made.

The proposal was submitted by PREIT, owner of Plymouth Meeting Mall. The zoning application the company filed seeks a special exception to the zoning code for the “Shopping Center” zoning district.

This exception would allow for the construction of an 11-story apartment building which would contain 503 units.

According to the application, PREIT would demolish the old IKEA headquarters which is currently located on the mall’s property, and replace it with the proposed apartment building. The ‘new’ IKEA moved out of that space and over to 400 Alan Wood Road in Conshohocken, in a newly-built bigger space with more parking.

Plymouth Township’s Council voted in October 2020 to oppose this application.

Read more about the proposal in More Than The Curve.