In an effort to beautify the heavy industrial portion of Hatboro, the owner of Sullivan’s Scrap Metals intends to demolish a neighboring house, expand his operations and add one or two employees.

But, before Mike Whalen can do any of that, he will need to present his plans to the Hatboro Planning Commission on Sept. 11 and sometime thereafter receive land development approval from the Hatboro Borough Council. On Monday, he shared with the governing body conceptual plans for what he hopes will be the future of the Oakdale Avenue property.

By demolishing a home at 449 Oakdale Ave., on the north end of the property, and adding a new building and canopy in its place, Whalen said his existing dozen employees could be “more efficient” and “a little more productive.”

Whalen told Patch afterward that his intent is to “pretty up the front” of the property.

Bids are being sought now for engineering work, Whalen said, adding that he hopes that construction can get underway by October or November. He said it was too early to know how much the upgrades would cost.

The plan is to hire one or two more employees in the next year and a half, Whalen said.

Council President John Zygmont asked Whalen if he was planning to add noise barriers.

“There have been a few complaints,” Zygmont said.

Since the business opened last year, Whalen said he has “always had the plan” to add vegetation behind the property to help buffer the typical metal and machinery sounds.

“It’s an investment,” Whalen said. “We are looking to do that at some point in the future.”