Representatives from Retail Sites, the developer of Shoppes at Concord, the most recent of the commercial developments planned for the field at Route 202 and Ridge Road, addressed Chadds Ford Township supervisors and residents on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The idea was to let Chadds Ford residents know what was going on.
It was designed as a simple one-hour-long presentation, with members of the packed meeting room advised by supervisors about decorum and protocol, but several people would violate the decorum, calling out questions and comments, interfering with the representatives’ ability to respond to questions and comments from others who had been called on. This made it difficult to follow the proceedings. However, some people did get their points heard and received responses.
The session started with attorney Ari Christakis telling the public that everything on the plan was either by-right or by-right with conditional use approval in Concord Township, where the 22.9-acre site is located. The plans call for a supermarket, a gas station, and a car wash. There are 10 buildings, some with one use and others with multiple users.
Chadds Ford resident Rich Horenberger questioned Retail Sites President Robert M. Hill about traffic, traffic counts, and specifically how the development would affect Ridge Road and the residents of Chadds Ford. Horenberger said the traffic study was inadequate as it failed to consider that impact on Chadds Ford.
In a prepared statement, he said that while the bulk of the development is in Concord, “[I]t is our belief that it will have significant impact on the roads and intersections within Chadds Ford Township that are not addressed by the developer’s engineers.”
The statement continues saying the study “ignores traffic impact west on Ridge Road at Heyburn Road and Ring Road, as well as at Heyburn and Smithbridge.”
Hill said all traffic issues, including the widening of Ridge Road, are under the controls set forth by PennDOT, but that his people can take another look at the situation.
Ellen Spoehr, who lives on Ridge Road, said she had looked at multiple sources and maps to “confirm that a small portion of the property running along Ridge Road sits in Chadds Ford, as does Ridge Road…”
She went on to say that she wants Chadds Ford officials to “challenge, appeal, and intervene in Concord Township’s zoning or land use decisions pertaining to this contested property.”
Several other residents questioned how the development would handle runoff from the car wash and the gas station. Again, Hill said those issues are to be handled by the codes in Concord as well as Chadds Ford Township.
Another resident, Margie Pirce, took a different approach, seemingly acknowledging that the development will go through. She said she would like to see native plants used as a buffer in the plan, and that the large deer population should be culled.
While she didn’t speak during the presentation, Supervisors’ Chairman Timotha Trigg did provide some documentation that she provided to Chadds Ford Live, papers she and Chadds Ford Planning Commission Chairman Craig Huffman presented to the Delaware County Planning Department.
In that paper, she and Huffman expressed multiple concerns, asking for recommendations to provide strong protections for Chadds Ford Township and its residents. Among those concerns are traffic and safety, and land use compatibility.
Regarding traffic and safety, the document said that. Ridge Road is not designed for additional traffic, and direct access to the proposed shopping center on Ridge would create hazards, and that “Widening. Ridge Road from two to six lanes would further alter that character of the area and increase congestion on local roads.”
As for the land use compatibility, the document says that Concord’s C-2 zoning district does not allow a gas station. And if the car wash is permitted after the conditional use hearing, she wants strong conditions to protect nearby residents.
The document also asks for strong stormwater protection, including “advanced filtration for oil, gas, grease, and detergents beyond [Department of Environmental Protection] minimums.”
It also calls for acoustic controls with full enclosures for blowers and dryer systems, and a five-year maintenance bond for stormwater, landscaping, and noise mitigation systems.
The plan has not yet been approved by Concord Township. Retail Sites still needs to go back to Concord’s Planning Commission and go through a conditional use hearing for the planned car wash, and two fast-food restaurants that want outdoor dining, and another with a drive-through.
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.
