People waiting for the completion of the Hillman Drive extension — the final leg of the loop road system around the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 — may have to wait a while longer. John Coyle, the senior vice president and general counsel for The Henderson Group, told Chadds Ford Township supervisors Wednesday night that the project needs money, and that might not happen until the group gets the OK for a new residential development.
The Henderson Group — which owns the Chadds Ford Business Campus and Painters Crossing shopping center — wants to build a 240-unit age-restricted, gated community at Route 1 and Brandywine Drive, the fallow, 20-plus acre parcel between Hannum's Harley Davidson and the Painters Crossing shopping center.
Coyle said Henderson has received many questions regarding the Hillman Drive extension and plans to revise the shopping center. And he acknowledged that some people wondered whether Henderson would finish the extension.
"The Henderson team would ask you to keep a couple of things in mind. First, that Henderson is going to construct Hillman Drive, and that project is going to require capital to make that project happen. And two, Henderson has learned through all of our efforts to market vacant areas of the shopping center, to attract high quality regional and national tenants to the shopping center…there needs to be more residents living in close proximity to the shopping center," Coyle said.
He continued by saying the new project would allow Henderson to attract new capital investors and partners. That, in turn, would enable it to finish the loop road.
Coyle also said the age-restricted community would bring more residents into the shopping center, which would attract more high-quality tenants to the Painters Crossing while not placing any extra burden on the school district. No school-aged children would be living there because of deed restrictions limiting the occupant age to 55 years or older.
He also said the community would tie into the township's trail network and provide more open space than other uses. Coyle added an age-restricted community would not bring as much vehicular traffic as more traditional residential developments or other possible uses under existing zoning.
The site is currently zoned PBC — a planned business center — which excludes residential properties. However, the proposal includes a draft amendment that would allow senior or age-restricted apartments with conditional use approval, according to attorney Marc Damico, who represents Henderson for the proposed development.
"That means we would have to come before the Board of Supervisors during land development for a conditional use hearing. The draft ordinance includes a long list of 16 special requirements that must be met," Damico said.
Those requirements include ample frontage along Route 1 and Brandywine Drive, as well as connectivity to retail shops. Current plans do show a roadway between the proposed community and the shopping center.
Henderson's land planner John Kennedy said there has been an increase in demand for more senior housing in the area. It ties into the TND — traditional neighborhood development — concept drafted by Tom Comitta, Chadds Ford's land planning consultant, and works within the township's Comprehensive Plan.
"We think this is an excellent location for the proposed use," Kennedy said.
As proposed, the plan calls for 240 senior apartment units, one, two, and three bedrooms, in five, four-story buildings with 12 apartments per floor. Because of the terrain and the setbacks, the buildings would not be visible from either Route 1 or Brandywine Drive.
Kennedy also said work on the Hillman Drive extension — which includes improving the intersection of Route 1 and Brandywine Drive, would be done concurrently with construction on the proposed community.
No formal plans were submitted. The entire discussion centered on a sketch plan. Before anything can happen, Henderson would need to present engineered plans to the Planning Commission, get that body's recommendation for approval, then go to the supervisors for final approval and for the zoning change.
Other business
Supervisors voted to approve entering into a contract with the playground equipment company Kompan for the planned playground on the township property behind Turner's Mill. The contract amount is $187,913 — paid for with a matching grant — and includes equipment, fencing, surface, and installation services.
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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