In land development debates, we often focus on traffic, architecture, or retail tenants. But the most important issue is usually the least visible: stormwater.
The proposed Shoppes at Concord development, currently under review in Concord Township — with a portion of the parcel extending into Chadds Ford Township — recently experienced a quiet but significant change. On Feb. 24, the developer withdrew a proposed amendment to its permit coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). That may sound technical. It isn’t.
An NPDES permit governs how stormwater runoff is collected, detained, routed, and discharged. It determines how much land can be disturbed, how large detention basins must be, and how peak runoff rates are controlled. In short, it governs how rainwater will move across and beyond the site — affecting downstream properties, local roads, and shared waterways.
When a developer withdraws a proposed amendment to that permit, it raises an important question: Does the stormwater design currently being reviewed by Concord Township still match what the state of Pennsylvania authorized?
If the grading plan, basin sizing, discharge points, or disturbance acreage have changed — even modestly — the state permit may no longer reflect the configuration depicted in the submitted plan set. This matters because municipal land development approval does not substitute for state environmental authorization. Local officials can approve a plan, but if the state permit does not align with that plan, it cannot legally proceed.
This project also carries an additional layer of complexity: it spans two municipalities within a shared watershed. Stormwater does not respect township boundaries. A change in discharge routing or detention design in Concord township can directly affect residents and infrastructure Chadds Ford.
Before municipal approvals advance further, the simplest solution is transparency: obtain written confirmation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that the stormwater plan currently under review is fully authorized under active NPDES and Chapter 105 permits. If the plans match, the public gains reassurance. If they do not, the discrepancy must be corrected before any further approvals.
Stormwater management is not paperwork. It is engineering that determines how water moves across land. As a community, we owe it to ourselves to ensure that local approvals and state environmental permits are in complete alignment.
The question is not whether development should occur. The question is whether it should proceed with clarity, consistency, and full regulatory transparency.
That is a standard that benefits everyone — residents, municipalities, and developers alike.
By Ellen Spoehr
Chadds Ford Township
