After five months of hearings and three more of waiting, the Chadds Ford Zoning Hearing Board ruled in favor of the township in its bid to prevent the owners of Stonebridge Mansion from hosting catered events for profit at their 681 Webb Road home.
However, despite the ruling and all the time spent to date, the matter is still not settled.
“We’re very disappointed in the findings,” said Jim Byrne, the attorney representing owners Drew and Nicole Barnabei. “We appreciate the time we had to present our case, but we’re very disappointed in the findings. They’re wrong and we’re going to file an appeal.”
Byrne said the appeal would be filed in Delaware County court on Feb. 20, but he had no idea when it would be heard.
Chadds Ford Township solicitor Hugh Donaghue did not attend the Feb. 19 meeting when the decision was announced.
Hearing Board Chairman Robert Reardon said the Barnabeis knew the zoning restrictions on the residential property before they bought the 25-room home and that they failed to make the case that hosting catered events for profit was a previous nonconforming use.
He added that while the board has the power to grant variances for situations of extreme hardship, the Barnabeis also failed to demonstrate such hardship.
Board member Paul Koch and alternate Amanda Konyk concurred with Reardon. The vote was 3-0.
During testimony in the five hearing sessions, it was revealed that a previous owner had held large events at Stonebridge, some of which included fund-raisers for the township Republican Party and another was a month-long event in which more than 4,000 people came through the property without incident to the neighbors.
It was also revealed through testimony that other properties in residentially zoned areas hold events and conduct commercial business. Among those properties are the Brandywine River Museum of Art, the Chadds Ford Historical Society, the Brandywine Battlefield Park and the Plaza of Chadds Ford — the small strip mall at Heyburn Road.
Other business
The board also voted 3-0 to approve variances for an Audi dealership proposed for Route 202 near the Wawa at Dilworthtown Road.
Approval was granted after the applicant revised plans for signage. The original plan called for 256 square feet of signs, but the revision brought that down to just less than 191 square feet.
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.
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