The second round of testimony in the Concord Ventures hearing in Concord Township was a two-hour long session of one witness detailing compliance with ordinances.
Attorney Marc Kaplin, representing the developer, questioned Ben Crowder for two hours regarding the developer’s compliance with various elements of township codes. Crowder is an engineer with Bohler Engineering and project manager for the Concord Ventures project.
Kaplin admitted the session was tedious but explained to Judge James Proud — who is presiding over the matter in place of township solicitor Hugh Donaghue — that he must proceed in a detailed manner because opposing counsel, Marc Jonas, has challenged the application saying it fails to comply with Concord’s ordinances. He said going over the matter code by code was the only way he could make his case.
“I have to prove it does, one by one,” Kaplin said.
Kaplin also said before the hearing began that people might have difficulty staying awake for the two-hour session.
Concord Ventures is looking to build 29 townhouses in six buildings and 166 apartment units in three five-story buildings on 49 acres of a 64-acre property situated west of Route 202 near Watkin Avenue north of the Delaware state line. Woodlawn Trustees in the legal owner; Concord Ventures is the equity owner.
Crowder testified that the applicant has met all of Concord’s requirements. Specifically, he said CV meets all density and open space requirements.
Code for the R-PRD-1 zoning district, in which CV wants to build, calls for 50 percent of the area to be kept as open space. Crowder said the project leaves 64.4 percent — 31.6 acres — for open space, seven acres more than required.
Additionally, density requirements allow up to 16 apartments per acre and eight townhouses per acre, according to Crowder’s reading of the code, with 85 percent allotted for apartments and 15 percent for townhouses.
He said the housing type breakdown meets those codes. The 166 apartments represent 85 percent, and the 29 townhouses represent 15 percent of the site. By raw numbers, there would be 1.8 townhouses per acre (up to eight per acre allowed) and 10.4 apartments per acre (16 per acre allowed).
He also said the heights of, and the distances between buildings are within code.
Comparing the plan with the code, Crowder said the landscaping meets requirements for the number and types of trees to be planted. He added that township land planner Tom Comitta had reviewed the landscaping plan and made no comment regarding the trees.
Crowder also said the plan meets requirements for earth disturbance, stormwater management, and the preservation of natural areas.
No hearing is scheduled for April. The net session is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8.
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.
