Plymouth Township's Zoning Hearing Board voted 5-0 on Monday, Sept. 21, to grant Conshohocken a noise variance at 680 Colwell Lane. The ruling lets the borough run a planned public works facility louder than the township's zoning code normally allows.

The variance permits the borough to exceed Plymouth Township's maximum sound levels between 6:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and during emergencies such as snowstorms, MoreThanTheCurve first reported.

The 5.8-acre property sits on the Plymouth Township side of the border with Conshohocken. It was previously home to Young Windows, which consolidated its operations in a nearby community. The site is zoned Limited Industrial and sits adjacent to I-476.

A residential neighborhood lies across Colwell Lane from the property. That neighborhood is within Conshohocken's borders.

Board members questioned how the facility would be operated and whether it could negatively affect neighbors. Borough representatives told the board that the public works department already operates in several residential neighborhoods within Conshohocken without problems.

Conshohocken Borough Council voted in August to move forward with purchasing the property. An Aug. 5 borough council presentation by Ray Sokolowski, the borough's head of operations, and Director of Public Services Frank Perry put the acquisition price at $5,975,000, funded equally through the general and capital funds. Developer Ratowsky & Trainor had purchased the property in October 2025 for $4,650,000. MoreThanTheCurve's Sept. 22 report stated the borough voted to buy for $4.65 million; whether that reflects a renegotiated price or a conflation with the developer's figure is unclear.

The purchase remains in the due diligence stage.

The move would consolidate a public works operation that has outgrown its current footprint. The borough's existing facilities total just over 13,500 square feet spread across multiple sites, including a salt barn on East Elm Street with structural problems and a garage near Sutcliffe Park accessible only through a narrow alley that can become impassable in winter. The Colwell Lane building offers 43,000 square feet.

The department has added six employees in recent years and taken on maintenance of four new pocket parks. A new stormwater division has also required additional equipment and storage space.

If the borough completes the purchase and relocates public works, land along West 7th Avenue near Sutcliffe Park could be freed for other uses, including a potential dog park discussed at the Aug. 5 council meeting.

No closing date or construction timeline has been announced.