Frugality and foresight keep Concord thriving

Posted by Rich Schwartzman on February 6, 2014

Concord Township Supervisors Dominic Pileggi and Dominic Cappelli told members of the Chadds Ford Business Association that sound decisions have made the township a place where people want to live and do business.

The pair addressed the CFBA during the association’s monthly luncheon.

Taxes have not risen in the township in four years and the population has been growing steadily for more than 20 years. The current population of 18,000 is four times what it was in the 1990s.

Pileggi said Concord’s tax assessment is $1.5 billion with almost half, $700 million being commercial. Costco, he said, pays between $300,000 and $400,000 in school taxes each year and that the Garnet Valley School District couldn’t wait for the store to open.

Concord does have a dedicated open space tax — instituted four years ago when taxes were last raised — and one-third of the township’s annual take goes to open space. Another third pays for The Concordville Fire Co. and the Rachel Kohl Library, while the remaining third “pays the bills,” Pileggi said.

He added that the immediate budget concern regards salt and snowplowing for the rest of this winter season. They are already over budget because of the storms so far.

Pileggi brought people up to date on the Wegmans’ development; the the developer would break ground soon after getting the needed permits and probably be finished in the fall of 2015.

In addition, another medical facility will be going up on Route 1. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has purchased the old Ethan Allen property and will construct a two-story, 40,000 square foot office building.

Also planned for the Route 1 area is a 90-home carriage house development behind the Concordville Town Centre.

Pileggi said the supervisors received a lot of criticism for the billboard that went up on Route 202 at the north end of the split near Chadds Ford. He explained, however, that several other townships are spending millions of dollars to fight against billboards, but Concord thought giving into this one was prudent.

He said there were actually five separate requests for billboards in different locations, but supervisors were able to get the others tossed out.

“The board prides itself in being practical. We won’t spend excessive amounts on litigation,” he said.

Pileggi also brought up the 320-acre Woodlawn Trustees property that was the focus of so much controversy the last two years. While Woodlawn withdrew its application for a zoning change, it could still come back with plans to build under current zoning.

If that would happen, he said, it’s conceivable for the property to be sold with the ability to build a 220-home development in a 40-acre PRD district and subdivide the rest of the property with 1-acre zoning by right.

“We’d be hard pressed to say no,” he said.

He added that it would cost the township $15-$20 million to buy the land, which is beyond the township’s borrowing capacity and would force taxes to be tripled.

Cappelli gave a brief history of Concord, noting it was the first place in the country to harvest mushrooms and that it was the original home of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.