Chadds Ford Township supervisors voted to authorize the advertising of two items during their April 22 workshop. They voted to advertise the 2026 Road program and on a proposed map and text change in the zoning code.
For the road program, work is planned for Ridings Way with a mill base repair and overlay from the cul-de-sac to the intersection with the loop. Work will also include inlet repair. Ridings Way Loop will get mill-base repair and overlay from intersection to intersection. Bullock Road will get a mill base repair overlay, double yellow striping, a stop bar, and a speed hump from Ring Road to Carriage Path.
There is also a possible add-on option contingent based on the results of the bid: Mountain View Trail, mill base repair, and overlay from Wilderness Way to the cul-de-sac.
Township engineer Mike Schneider said he wants to get this out for bid quickly because of fluctuation in costs.
“I really want to get this out for bid sooner rather than later. I’m seeing some really variable prices on paving and other road programs I’ve bid already. Most notably, oil prices, which really affect paving prices, and they’ve been very high.
The vote to approve advertising was 3-0.
Also unanimous was a vote to advertise a text amendment and map change to the zoning code. The proposed change would add “banks and similar financial institutions without drive-through lanes as a permitted use in the POC Zoning District,” meaning by-right, and add “banks and similar financial institutions with drive-through lanes” as a conditional use in the POC zoning district.
The action stems from a proposal by the 1720 Wilmington Pike Group, which wants to raze the now vacant Bill Bunch Auction House property and construct a veterinary office and a bank. The site is along Hillman Drive and Route 202 and is split-zoned LI and POC. The proposed change would make the entire property POC.
Solicitor Mike Maddren added that the change would also “eliminate loading requirements that are subject to our engineer’s review pursuant to a small tweak in the section and reduce the parking requirements for banks” because in-person banking is not as prevalent as it once was.
Schneider also commented on the loading requirement, saying, “Our ordinance says you have to provide loading space for your needs, based on the particular use. Then we had a section that required a 50-foot by 12-foot loading space. But loading is not a one-size-fits-all, so that always got us into a little bit of an issue,” he said, because that could lead to the applicant needing to get zoning variances.
“I will work with [applicants] to determine what the needs are to make sure that loading for each facility is adequate for their needs,” Schneider said.
He noted that banks need very little loading, while a veterinary hospital might need more, and a car dealership would need even more room for loading, since car carriers need more space than the 50×12 space.
The matter had already been recommended by the Planning Commission.
Supervisors’ Chairman Timotha Trigg stressed that the move is only to advertise the change, not to approve it.
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.
