Wow, we nearly fell off our chairs when we read the Op-Ed piece by the incumbent Supervisors in Chadds Ford. Talk about trying to deflect from the real issues facing Chadds Ford Township! In our flyer, Save the Valley’s graphic designer (a volunteer) meant to use the Chadds Ford Township logo as a way to identify which jurisdiction the endorsement pertained to. He mistakenly used the almost identical sewer authority logo on the Chadds Ford website home page instead (identical except for the size 4 pt. font that said “Sewer Authority”). The campaign literature stated the piece was paid for by Save the Valley. It was a mistake, for which we sincerely apologize, but to suggest anything other than that is really off base, and quite frankly insulting to Save the Valley, its supporters and the voters of Chadds Ford. It appears their letter is a lame attempt to discredit our organization as payback for the fact that one of their candidates wasn't endorsed. How sad. Can we please focus on the things that matter instead of playing political games?
Save the Valley has expended thousands of volunteer hours over the past 2 ½ years, and considerable resources, to try and prevent a massive development project directly on the Smithbridge Road border of Chadds Ford. Concord Township, known for its developer friendly environment, approved a 171 house development that will produce over 30 million gallons of stormwater runoff, ruin ecological and historical resources, clog our roads with traffic and greatly diminish the First State National Park in Chadds Ford and Delaware. Never once did the Chadds Ford Supervisors attend a Concord Township meeting, lend a hand or take a public stand against the proposed destruction of 3500 trees and the ruination of Beaver Valley. To the contrary, they continue to utilize the services of the same Township Solicitor that Concord uses to carry out its development strategy.
Of course things could have been much worse. Save the Valley helped defeat the original rezoning which called for some 550 units. Chadds Ford Township was nowhere to be seen in that fight either.
Save the Valley will be at the polls tomorrow to answer your questions about the development project that threatens Chadds Ford. We can always use more volunteers and expertise to preserve our beautiful area. We are focused on the issues and chose to endorse candidates only because we saw what happened when Supervisors in Concord didn’t have the expertise or commitment to stand up to developers. We stand by our endorsement of Alan Horowitz and Samantha Reiner as the best candidates to protect open space in Chadds Ford. Please go to www.savethevalley.org to learn more about our organization or talk to us at the polls on Election Day.
Rob Gurnee
Chadds Ford Township
Rob Gurnee is a board member of Save the Valley
(9 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Well said! And how true.
Chadds Ford supervisors have one overriding principle when it comes to development: if it doesn’t affect the “integrity and historical character” of the quaint Village of Chadds Ford, go ahead and build whatever you want!
Other than for the Estates at Chadds Ford, the supervisors have been unsuccessful in wresting green space from any developers. Sure, they’ll negotiate a contribution for the proposed “sidewalks” to make the village “walkable.” But ask a developer to save some trees or maintain a meadow? No thank you.
Concord Township continues to develop the land closest to its border with Chadds Ford. Maris Grove. The Shoppes at Concordville. A new housing development adjacent to Spring Valley Road. A medical plaza at the corner of Brinton Lake and Marshall Roads, slated to be completed in late 2016. Business condos behind the Brandywine Professional Offices. A proposed retail/residential development on the undeveloped site at Ridge Road and Route 202. The-way too-bright, driver-distraction eyesore of an electronic billboard. Who knows what on the site of the former mini-golf course.
Several of these projects are Concord Township’s domain; others are on acreage that straddle both Concord and Chadds Ford Townships. Have the Chadds Ford supervisors tried to “negotiate” with their Concord counterparts to consider the quality of life of the residents of the “business district” north and south of the Route 1/202 intersection? Have they asked Concord to scale back development. Yes, if a parcel is zoned for commercial, developers pretty much have to be allowed to build. Is the relationship between the Concord and Chadds Ford supervisors so strained that they cannot make a joint effort to request — much less demand — green space? In instances where the property to be developed is shared by both townships, why doesn’t Chadds Ford hold up the project until some green space is guaranteed to be preserved?
And Wegmans. It’s not Wegmans, it’s another mall. What a ruse the supervisors pulled on its citizens. It’s just another grocery store, they said. No, it’s a mega-mall with roadside shoppes along Route 202, restaurants, fast food, liquor store, etc. It’s got a pub, too. And if, as rumored, the Bunch Auction site becomes an Aldi store, there will be 7 grocery stores within a less than 5-mile radius of the Route 1/202 intersection. How many grocery stores do we need? Oh, that’s right…the townships can use the big-money tax revenue.
The bucolic, peaceful corner of the township lines is being turned in to a macadam, concrete and cinder block suburban jungle. When folks complain about the deer eating flowers around their homes and draining the bird feeders, I remind them the deer were here first. The Chadds Ford and Concord supervisors are slowly destroying not only the deer habitat, but eliminating other area wildlife. When’s the last time you’ve seen a rabbit? Or the red fox who traversed the fields back and forth across Route 202? There’s not even any roadkill anymore. Where are the deer supposed to go? Soon they’ll be dumpster diving at some shopping mall. Or, they’ll have to find a suitable section of green space near the walkable Chadds Ford.
There is good news for some Chadds Ford residents, though. If you live near the Village, you’ll continue to enjoy the simple life of museums, quaint shoppes, small bistros that change names and cuisine every few months, a bank, the Post Office and Hank’s. And the convenience of Leader Sunoco nearby. Fishing or canoeing in the Bradywine or strolling its banks. All the charm of village life.
But you can’t buy groceries in the Village of Chadds Ford. You’ll have to drive to the business district to do that. Make sure you plan ahead. You’ll definitely get stuck in traffic.
KS Dillon
Resident
Chadds Ford “Business District”
I, too, wish that more were being done to guide development and to preserve open space, but the issues aren’t as simple as KS Dillon implies.
In Pennsylvania, landowners have every right to develop their lands, so long as they comply with the requirements set forth in the municipality’s ordinances (e.g., Zoning, Subdivision and Land Development, Floodplain, Historic Districts, et al.). While some may think that there should be maximums on the numbers of grocery stores or car dealerships, the law does not permit such limits. If one doesn’t want any development to occur, the only legal ways to stop it are to acquire the land and/or place some sort of conservation restriction on it.
When it comes to Chadds Ford and Concord working together to control development, multimunicipality comprehensive plans are allowed, but no such cooperation between the townships has taken place. Even if it were to occur, the respective zoning codes would still prevail. At present, Wegmans is allowed by right on the parcel in Concord, and a strip mall is allowed by right on the adjacent parcel in Chadds Ford.
Regarding open space, it’s true that Chadds Ford’s supervisors have not succeeded in “wresting” open space from the developers or otherwise taken overt steps to secure it. Chadds Ford’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted at the beginning of 2009, called explicitly for taking steps to facilitate the protection and preservation of open space; the township has failed to act on those recommendations and has rebuffed several requests to revisit the plan. In addition, the township has not always enforced zoning provisions that require developments to set aside open space, green area, and/or recreation areas. Subdivision and land development requirements for mandatory dedication of land suitable for recreation have been waived in favor of a fee-in-lieu.
Mike Ashmore
Chadds Ford