It was a relatively quick meeting in Concord Township on Tuesday, but not without a reference to the proposed Shops at Ridge Road. The proposed Giant Supermarket in the proposed shopping center wants a liquor license. A conditional use hearing date has been set for that.
Township solicitor Hugh Donaghue made the announcement during his report at the Feb. 3 Council meeting.
“The application that’s currently in front of the Zoning Hearing Board, Concord Acquisitions [aka Retail Sites], and specifically as part of that proposed development, is a Giant Supermarket. The Giant Supermarket is applying for a liquor license transfer.”
Donaghue explained that Giant was a successful bidder for a license that was auctioned off by the state Liquor Control Board.
“Their rule and regulations indicate that within six months, they have to obtain a clearance from a township if it’s an intermunicipal transfer. So, there will be a hearing on that liquor license matter here in the township building on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.,” Donaghue said.
He added that the continued zoning hearing for the development is scheduled for Feb. 18, which will also be in the township’s main meeting room.
Following a question from Council Co-Vice President John Gillespie, Donaghue said the council will likely make a decision on the liquor license during the council’s March 3 meeting. He also said the public may take part in that Feb. 24 hearing by asking questions and providing testimony.
He said the council will then “have the ability to approve it, deny it, or give a conditional decision because, quite frankly, this Giant hasn’t even been approved yet.”
The store must still get land development approval for the shopping center before there is a Giant.
Gillespie commented that, “This board has not yet seen anything on this development, so we can’t do anything legislatively until the Zoning Hearing Board finishes their case. This is something unusual that just came up, so we will have the hearing on the liquor license. That will either be approved or denied. And the Zoning Hearing Board will make a decision on what’s in front of them. After that, we will then have a conditional use hearing for the remainder of the site. If that’s approved, then it will go to land development.”
Other business
• The township is moving ahead with the Smithbridge Road Roundabout Project. Township Manager Amanda Serock said PennDOT is requiring the township to apply for a grant to use one of PennDOT’s third-party approved inspectors for the physical construction of the roundabout.
“So, they had us fill out this form and resolution notifying that we will do so as part of the grant process,” Serock said.
Before the meeting, township engineer Nate Kline explained that a roundabout will be going into Smithbridge Road at its intersection with Kirk and Temple roads.
That roundabout will be connected to a trail that goes all the way down to the [Garnet Valley] middle school, park, and the high school complex. A left-turn lane will also be added to the school district driveway at the high school. That was a requirement made years ago, he said.
Kline said the school district, PennDOT, and the township will each have a portion to pay for the total project, but he wasn’t sure of the payment breakdown yet, but a large portion will be paid by PennDOT. Construction on the project could begin sometime this year or early next year.
• In honor of Black History Month, the Concord Township Historical Society will host a Harriet Tubman reenactment this coming Saturday, Feb. 7, in the community center.
• Tom Ferro was appointed to be an alternate on the Zoning Hearing Board. His term will expire Jan. 2, 2027.
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.
