March 10, 2022

Hank's Place rendering — An architect’s rendering of the proposed design for rebuilding Hank’s Place. The proposed deck is on the far left of the structure. (Image courtesy of Katie Young, Dever Architects and Regester Associates, engineers.)

The march to get Chadds Ford’s iconic restaurant back up and running has begun. But, when it will all come to fruition for the owners of Hank’s Place remains a guess.

As most everyone in the area knows, Hank’s was wiped out in the flooding from Hurricane Ida, and owners Anthony and Katie Young have been working with architects and engineers to get engineered plans together for a rebuild. Wednesday night, that plan went before the Planning Commission for the first time.

To prevent future flooding, the plan calls for the old structure to be razed, then a new building constructed on pillars will raise the restaurant by 8.5 feet. A ramp system will get patrons from the parking lot to the restaurant. In addition, there will be room for employee parking and some storage underneath the new building.

Parking is an issue. While the restaurant will not lose spaces, keeping the current 45, Planning Commission member Thomas Bradley is concerned about night hours when Antica and Brandywine Prime are open and their lots are full. He said he’s had to park across Route 1 in the Post Office lot and walk across Route 1, something that can be dangerous.

“Poor parking puts peoples’ lives in danger,” he said.

While the number of parking spaces increases by two, the restaurant’s capacity will go from 65 to 95. Katie Young said the extra capacity comes from a planned outdoor deck.

However, before those plans get approved, the Youngs will have to take them to the Historical and Architectural Review Board because the restaurant is in the Historic District. They’ll also need zoning waivers from parking requirements and some housekeeping issues such as lighting and landscape plans. And because of the extra seating capacity, Commission member Valerie Hoxter said they should also check with the Sewer Authority to assure they have adequate sewer capacity.
Commission Chairman Craig Huffman said the Youngs would also have to return to the Planning Commission to recommend conditional use approval to use the outdoor deck. He added that it would be best to resolve the zoning variances and HARB issues before returning to the Planning Commission.

Once those matters are resolved and the Planning Commission votes to recommend the plans for approval, the Youngs would then go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.

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.

Around Town March 10

Along the Ford

BRM — It will be pie on Pi Day — March 14, 3.14 — for the price of pi at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

• The Brandywine River Museum is offering pie at pi prices on “Pi Day,” March 14 (3.14). Pi is the mathematical constant 3.14, and the price of a slice of pie at the museum’s café will be $3.14 that day. This also coincides with the final month of the exhibit, Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings. Thiebaud is famous for his pop art paintings of pies.

• Attention Chadds Ford Township high school seniors. The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association is accepting applications for its annual $1500 scholarship. The application deadline is April 9, 2022. The applicant must live in Chadds Ford Township, be a high school senior, must have been accepted into a post-secondary educational program, and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. The applicants shall apply on their own behalf. The application form, as provided by the Residents Association, shall be received by April 9, of the current academic year. See full application and submission details on their website at cftra.org

The Chester County History Center will be reminding people not to forget the ladies on March 19.

• In early America, women were all too often the people who just weren’t there: not in the records, not in the censuses, not on juries, not in the voting booth. Now, Chester County History Center is offering a virtual class, “Don’t Forget the Ladies”: A Genealogist’s Guide to Women and the Law. The class is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, beginning at 10 a.m. It’s a free class for members $q10 for non-members. Click here for tickets.

• COSA, The Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging, in collaboration with Crozer Health is offering the evidence-based Healthy Steps program virtually for those 60 and older living in Pennsylvania. This program helps reduce fall risk by helping participants address fears while educating and equipping them with the right tools to make a difference in their lives. The Healthy Steps program will be held virtually on Zoom 1-3 p.m. Thursday, March 31, and Friday, April 1. All program costs including the Healthy Steps workbook are covered by COSA, so the program is free. However, class size is limited, and registration is required. To register, contact Ellen Williams at williamse@co.delaware.pa.us or call 610-499-1937. When calling, please provide your name, address, phone number, and email address.

• Legendary composer and conductor John Williams will join violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and The Philadelphia Orchestra on the Verizon Hall stage at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, April 19, at 8 p.m. Mutter will perform Williams’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a piece created especially for her. This special one-night-only event will also feature Williams leading the orchestra and Mutter in some of his most cherished works, including “Flight to Neverland” from Hook, selections from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and “Throne Room and Finale” from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as well as selections of some of Williams’s beloved film themes specially adapted for Mutter for their 2019 album Across the Stars. For more information and tickets, call 215.893.3140 or visit www.philorch.org/constellations.