State Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-160, has called a meeting for this Friday, March 27, that could help pave the way to stop a proposed development and preserve Beaver Valley.
As reported last week, Concord Township supervisors granted preliminary plan approval for the Vineyard Commons project. If the plan goes through, 230 of 325 acres of Woodlawn Trustees property — from the Delaware state line north to Smithbridge Road and from Route 202 west to the border with Chadds Ford Township — would be developed to include 160 new homes.
Barrar was specific about the reason for the meeting.
“The most important thing is that we clarify that this is a meeting to explore what possibilities are out there. Explore is the key word,” he stressed.
That exploration is to determine what state and federal grants might be available to preserve the property and to see what private land trust groups might be willing to partner in the endeavor, he said.
The meeting — scheduled for 11 a.m. at Barrar’s office on Route 202 at Beaver Valley Road — would involve both state and federal officials. He said state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, would attend, and he thinks U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Pa. 7, will also be there.
“It’s important to understand that the financial burden can’t fall on Concord Township taxpayers alone,” Barrar said in a telephone interview. “There has to be a consortium here that will be put together if there’s an attempt made to preserve this property.”
He’s not certain what the price would be to buy the property from Woodlawn, and from the developers who are the equity owners, but doubts the township could borrow an amount large enough.
“One of the things we would have to do is look at exactly what the appraised value of the property would be if there was any sort of agreement,” he said.
Barrar has heard a range of figures that the developers paid anywhere from $22 million to $30 million for their equity rights.
(Last year, Pennsbury Township purchased 23 acres for open space from a subsidiary of Toll Bros. The selling price was $4.8 million, or more than $200,000 per acre.)
Barrar said there should be money available from the Marcellus Shale impact fee to help buy the property, though he doesn’t know how much could be obtained. He thinks Gov. Tom Wolf might be willing to apply some pressure in exchange for support of one of his projects down the road.
“I think it’s that important that we do whatever is possible,” Barrar said.
“Now is the time to bring our collective offices together to see if we have the power and financial ability to step in here and help the community to preserve this property,” he said.
While granting the preliminary plan approval, Concord’s supervisors also announced they would commit $500,000 of township open space funds if a private conservation group would step up to buy the land. Delaware County also promised $250,000.
And it was learned last week that the Delaware Congressional Delegation of U.S. Rep. John Carney and U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons wrote a letter to Woodlawn asking for a “cooling-off period” to give conservation groups a chance to preserve the site.
Barrar said the financial commitments from the township and the county, along with the Delaware letter, opened the door for legislators from Pennsylvania to get involved.
The meeting came about after Concord Township Supervisor Kevin O’Donogue contacted Barrar. O’Donogue was the lone supervisor to vote against the preliminary plan during the March 18 supervisors’ meeting.
In addition to Meehan and Pileggi, Sherri Evans-Stanton of the Brandywine Conservancy is expected to attend, as is a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Barrar said.
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.
