Grace concept goes to planning commission

Posted by Rich Schwartzman on October 1, 2014

Chadds Ford Township supervisors voted 2-0 to let the Planning Commission consider a new type of zoning that could accommodate a concept plan from developer Joe Grace.

At issue is a possible development on the former Goodman stable and riding school, a 90-plus-acre property along Oakland Road between Webb and Brinton’s Bridge roads.

The property is zoned R-1 for 2-acre lots. The developer also provided sketch plans for 1-acre and half-acre lots, all with 39 new homes. There are two existing houses already in the property. The differences in the proposals would be the amount of open space made available and whether or not there would be on-site sewage or public sewer.

Grace previously said that if the development would go through as a PRD-3, he would bring in public sewer, water and gas. His attorney reiterated that during the Oct. 1 meeting.

Township code does not currently consider the half-acre concept, so for that to go through, a new zoning category would need to be created. That new zoning would be a PRD-3. PRD stands for planned residential development.

Supervisor Frank Murphy was adamant in his explanation that voting to send the idea for a PRD-3 to the Planning Commission in no way means that he or any other supervisor endorses the plan. He said that the vote only means that they are honoring the developer’s request to explore the viability of the new PRD.

Attorney Mike Dignazio, representing the developer, has previously called the PRD-3 plan “optimal” and has gotten agreement from John Snook, a senior land planner with the Brandywine Conservancy.

Snook agreed to work as a consultant on the sketch plan. As previously reported, Snook made some changes to the plan that improve the view for some Webb Road neighbors and significantly increases the amount of open space within the development. A total of 48 acres of open space would be made available if the PRD-3 is enacted and the plan ultimately approved.

Snook added that the lot sizes are actually larger than half-acre, more like two-thirds of an acre. He suggested that some of that open space could be used as a park and offered for dedication to the township.

Supervisors’ Chairman Keith Klaver said the supervisors would want input from the community on how to use the open space, but that there is no guarantee that the township would accept dedication if the plan went through.

Webb Road resident Samantha Reiner said she liked the plan, but not as a PRD-3. She would like to see it go through as a type of overlay for the R-1. Reiner said it was a matter of how potential homeowners could exercise their property rights. Their actions would be restricted in a PRD, she said.

Reiner also suggested offering a transfer of development rights so that there would be fewer homes built on the property, but that the developer would get rights to do more construction elsewhere in the township.

Murphy said that authorizing the Planning Commission to look at creating a PRD-3 was an incremental step. If the commission thinks it has no value, then it can tell the supervisors to consider something else.

Other business

• Supervisors hired a new township manager. Amanda Serock, an assistant manager in Swarthmore for the last five years, will assume the role effective Oct. 13 with a salary of $75,000.

The township has been using an agency to serve as manager since June when Judy Lizza resigned.

• The board voted 2-0 to buy the former B&H Motors property at 1381 Baltimore Pike for no more than $135,000.

Klaver said the 1.7-acre property would be left vacant and used for stormwater management, but that the township might build on it later if the need arose.

He also said the sale is contingent upon an environmental impact study. Funds for the purchase come from the infrastructure fund — money that came as donations from developers — not from taxpayers, Klaver added.

• Supervisors’ Vice Chairman George Thorpe did not attend the meeting.

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.