Car Sense coming to Concord

Posted by Rich Schwartzman on July 11, 2018

The old Turf Club on Route 1 in Concord Township is getting a makeover and will become a Car Sense dealership, possibly as early as next spring. Concord Township Council gave the OK to the project during its July 10 meeting. The township Planning Commission recommended approval in June.

Car Sense, now owned by Penske Automotive, bills itself as the sensible way to buy a used car, with each car certified and reconditioned, and with a no haggle price guarantee.

Paul Bohaboy, Penske’s regional project manager, said after the approval that they expect to break ground on two new buildings this fall and project opening during the first quarter of 2019, likely in March or April if all things go smoothly.

Those two new buildings on the 8-acre site will account for an additional 15,000 square feet of construction. The old building that was the Turf Club will remain.

Bohaboy added that they chose the Concord area because of "good demographics" and because company policy calls for each Car Sense dealership to be within 45 minutes of another one.

Some of the conditions include installing a sidewalk along the Route 1 frontage, but not along Brinton Lake Road. However, the applicant must grant an easement along Brinton Lake Road so that a sidewalk could be installed later. The property will have two access points. One will be off Brinton Lake Road behind the Hill’s Seafood and Domino’s Pizza building, and another — a right in/right out access — on Route 1.

Landscaping is also a condition with Car Sense required to pay $500 for any tree required that can’t be planted. As of the Tuesday night meeting, the company would have to pay for 21 trees. Council member Joshua Twersky opposed the payment in lieu of the trees. The applicant's attorney Lou Colagreco argued, and the rest of Council agreed, that the site was already nonconforming to code and that the nature of the property would not allow all the trees required to be planted. So council granted a waiver for the trees so long as Car Sense pays the $500 per tree not planted.

The final vote was 5-1 with Council member John Crossan absent from 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.