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Supervisor: Keep Woodlawn zoning as is

At least one Concord Township supervisor doesn’t want to change the current zoning in the 325 acres of property owned by Woodlawn Trustees.

Elizabeth “Libby” Salvucci said at the end of a rather routine Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Sept. 3 that the current zoning should be kept.

She commented further after the meeting finished.

“We don’t have a plan in front of us but, based on what I’ve heard from everyone and their feelings on it, I’m inclined to leave the zoning as it is and see what happens,” Salvucci said.

She said she spoke to many people at the Open Space Music Fest last month and they all said they wanted the property zoning kept as is. Those comments, however, did not change her opinion.

“From the beginning I was always open to saying that I felt this way,” she said after the meeting, adding that most of the comments made at the festival centered around wishes that a consortium could buy the property.

“I wish there was something out there, some miracle that it would happen,” she said. “We just don’t know what’s available right now. But, by us not changing the zoning, hopefully it can happen.”

Salvucci was appointed supervisor in 2011 to replace Colleen Morone who was elected to Delaware County Council in the general election that year. She is running for a full term as supervisor this year and is challenged by Democrat Dan Foster.

According to Foster, “That’s great, but she’s a day late and a dollar short.”

He said coming out in favor of keeping the current zoning would have been stronger had Salvucci done so before Woodlawn withdrew its application. Foster called it a political move for the election.

The property in question is from the Delaware state line to Smithbridge Road and from Route 202 to the Concord Township border with Chadds Ford. Woodlawn wants to sell the property, but first wants it rezoned. It withdrew the application for rezoning in the spring because, Green said, there was too much misinformation regarding the plans. He said he would submit a new plan sometime this fall.

According to Woodlawn CEO Vernon Green, rezoning would allow greater residential density, but also guarantee more open space. Opponents disagree.

Woodlawn wants to sell the property so it can continue to provide affordable housing in Wilmington.

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.

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Concord supervisors ponder purchase of Woodlawn property

Local News

Are Concord Township residents willing to see their taxes increased by up to 300 percent in order for the township to buy the 325-acre Woodlawn Trustees property?

That’s what township supervisors want to know. Supervisor Dominic Cappelli raised the question during the Aug. 6 Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

Cappelli said he’d like to see a referendum on next spring’s primary election ballot that puts the question to the voters. Leading up to that, he said, would be a series of public meetings just to get a feel of what residents think about having such a referendum. The meetings would have to conclude in January or February because ballot questions have to be approved 13 Tuesdays before the election. Next year’s primary is May 20.

He also said it’s crucial for supervisors to get a feel for what township residents want because most of the negative reaction to a possible development of the acreage has been coming from people outside the township, outside the region and even outside the state. Opposition is coming from California, Ohio and Mississippi, he said.

“We’ve got to get Concord Township residents involved with this thing,” Cappelli said after the meeting. “We’re getting a lot of professional demonstrations from organizations outside, but I’m not hearing things from Concord residents. They’re the ones who will have to pay the bill for open space.”

He said the township could have to borrow $15 million to $20 million for the purchase. That price tag, according to Supervisors’ Chairman Dominic A. Pileggi, could force a tax hike of 200-300 percent.

Cappelli added that the cost of maintaining open space could be as much as an additional $15,000 to $20,000 per year. Fields, streams and trails have to be maintained, he said. “That’s expensive.”

The township spent $6 million the last time Concord put out an open space referendum in 2004 or ’05, Cappelli said. That money preserved roughly 200 acres.

He also said that Woodlawn Trustees were not originally interested in permanent open space when the township suggested a transfer of development rights in which people could buy homes in the 325 acres, but not the land itself. However, the economy went under and nobody bought. That’s when Woodlawn decided to sell the entire property, Cappelli said.

Woodlawn’s CEO Vernon Green could not comment on the possibility of the township buying the property because he hadn’t heard about that. He did say that there had been talks concerning the transfer of development rights about six years ago, but nothing ever came of it.

The property is question extends from the Delaware state line north to Smithbridge Road, and from Route 202 west to the Chadds Ford Township boundary. All 325 acres are owned by Woodlawn Trustees. Homes, horse farms and a winery are all rental properties, according to Green.

Green’s organization had proposed rezoning the acreage so that it could be sold and developed with more preserved open space than if it would be developed under current zoning. According to Green, fully developing the property under current zoning would preserve only 15 to 20 acres of open space. Under the proposal, however, there would be more houses built, but that more than 200 acres would be preserved.

Selling the property, he said, would allow Woodlawn to continue its mission of providing affordable housing in Wilmington, Green said.

Woodlawn withdrew its application in May, but Green said they would resubmit the plan this fall. He said they withdrew the proposal because there was a lot of misinformation floating around about the plan.

Cappelli also said there was too much confusion and misconception about the plan when he brought up the idea of the referendum and town meetings.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Concord bids farewell to DeNenno

Local News

Ginny-Cuts-cake — Concord bids farewell to DeNenno

Long-time Concord Township volunteer Virginia DeNenno has called it quits. Township supervisors “regretfully” accepted her resignation during their Aug. 6 meeting.

Supervisors’ Chairman Dominic Pileggi read proclamations from the state Senate and House of Representatives that recognized her years of service to Concord, and Delaware County Council woman Colleen Morrone read a similar proclamation from the county. Morrone is a former Concord supervisor and now on County Council.

DeNenno, called “Ginny” by her friends, helped found the township’s Historical Society in 1967 and has been its president since 1972. She also began serving on the Planning Commission in 1979.

When asked what she thought was the highlight of her years of service, she simply said that it was preserving open space for as long as the township could.

“Knowing it was farmland, I think we did a good job keeping open space. Seeing the buildup now had to come. Seeing what happened around us, we geld out pretty long,” she said,

She was also pleased that historic properties could be preserved.

Supervisor Kevin O’Donaghue was sad to see DeNenno go. She founded the Historical Society a year before O’Donaghue was born, he said.

“Mushroom spores were brought from England to Concord Township. This is where mushrooms were brought into America…Ginny taught me things like that,” he said.

There was a small reception in honor of DeNenno following the meeting.

Virginia "Ginny" DeNenno, third from the right, with Concord Township supervisors who "regretfully" accepted her resignation from township committees. — Virginia “Ginny” DeNenno, third from the right, with Concord Township supervisors who “regretfully” accepted her resignation from township committees.

According to O’Donaghue, DeNenno “built something that will live forever. She got other people involved to care enough so that the Concord Township Historical Society is one of the strongest in Southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s all because of Ginny…I’m proud to call her my friend and to grow up with such a great lady.”

About Rich Schwartzman

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Concord OKs zoning change pertaining to Wegman’s

Local News

A Wegman’s supermarket is one bureaucratic step closer to becoming a reality in Concord Township. Major steps are still ahead, though.

Supervisors voted June 4 to approve a text amendment and new map for a Loop Road Overlay District that would allow for a Wegman’s in the area of Applied Card Way, Route 1 and Route 202.

That’s still a long way off, however. Before the project can even start, the applicant must go through a conditional use hearing and the normal land development process with the Concord Planning Commission. Those proceedings could get started in September.

Other business

Supervisors held a brief conditional use hearing for Johnny’s Wood Oven Pizzeria for the purpose of determining whether the restaurant should be approved for outdoor seating.

The restaurant is located at 95 Wilmington-West Chester Pike — Route 202 — where Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger used to be.

Owner John McElderry said the 715 square foot outdoor seating area would be in the front of the building. During testimony he said he would agree to using the area from April to October only, close the area at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 during the rest of the week. He also agreed not to have any outdoor music, entertainment or an outside bar. The pizzeria is BYO only.

A July 11 decision is anticipated.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Woodlawn Trustees withdraws rezoning application

Local News

Packed-House-44 — Woodlawn Trustees withdraws rezoning application

A rezoning plan that could have led to a controversial development of 325 acres in Concord Township has been withdrawn and a hearing into the matter is closed. Another application is in the works.

Opponents of the rezoning attempt let their feelings known inside the auditorium.

Cheers and applause erupted from the more than 650 people attending the May 14 hearing, held at Garnet Valley Middle School, when Concord Township solicitor Hugh Donaghue read letters from the principals saying they were withdrawing their application. The applause turned to boos when Donaghue read they would be filing new applications.

The plan — had it gone through to approval — would have rezoned an area from the Delaware state line north to Smithbridge Road and from Route 202 west to Concord’s border with Chadds Ford Township.

The land includes Brandywine Summit Camp Meeting, Penns Woods Winery and a number of horse farms and trails.

There are currently three different zoning districts in that area. Applicants wanted the entire acreage rezoned into a PRD-4 that would have allowed for a mix of residential and commercial use, while still maintaining open space.

Donaghue also acknowledged petitions signed by more than 5,000 people opposing the application. They object to the rezoning because they don’t believe there would be any open space.

Woodlawn’s Chief Executive Officer Vernon Green said during a hearing last October that current zoning would allow 209 apartments, 249 townhouses, develop 20,000 square feet of commercial space, but provide only 15 to 20 acres of dedicated open space. Under the proposal, he said, there would be more housing, but 209 acres of permanently preserved open space.

“We’ve heard that argument before,” said Concord Township resident Anne Mueller. “They promise open space, but it’s only a few trees. We want a natural wooded area.”

Laurie Curl, another Concord resident, said she’s upset that township supervisors would even consider such a proposal.

Concord Township Supervisors Libby Salvucci and Dominic Pileggi listen as Woodlawn Trustees CEO Vernon Green reads a statement.

“It’s disgusting, a shame. Why not just leave it alone? Concord Township should buy the property and keep it open space. They should do it proudly,” Curl said.

Chadds Ford Township residents Deborah Reardon, Valerie Hoxter and Frank Murphy also attended.

Speaking before the hearing began, Reardon said her concern was on how the development might affect infrastructure and its possible impact on Chadds Ford.

Reardon, Chadds Ford’s Open Space Committee chairman, said, “This is a regional issue. It has to do with protecting resources that are valuable and it also has to do with infrastructure in that there is no way that any report or study could support this kind of overwhelming development. I personally call for a moratorium on any kind of development from Route 202 at Naamans Road, all the way up.”

She also discounted Green’s assertion that there would be more open space with the different zoning.

“That may be true,” Reardon said, “but if you look at the proposed homes for development, if you look at the business side of the development, the overwhelming traffic issues, infrastructure issues, when you look at water and when you look at the roads, we’re looking at an over-burdening situation.”

Some think developing the Woodlawn Trustees property would lead to the death of their lifestyle.

She said she wants a moratorium so that other resources can be brought in to prevent any development.

Woodlawn’s CEO did not directly address the reason for withdrawing the application, but alluded to it by saying Woodlawn was founded to provide affordable housing, preserve open space and develop some of the land to pay for the first two purposes.

Green said such development should take place in a “planned and responsible manner, while at the same time providing publicly accessible open space.”

He said the withdrawn plan would have required open space and maintaining the current trails used for walking, cycling and horseback riding.

“It’s our sincere hope that these facts about the mission of Woodlawn will lead everyone to better understand the important interconnection between this development and preservation as a result of the new application,” Green said.

Also withdrawing were housing developers Eastern States Development Co. and the McKee Group, and commercial developer Wolfson Verrichia Group.

All the principals will be filing a new application.

Donaghue said that application would be posted on the township Web site once the township gets it and that it will be at least 60 days before the start of a new hearing.

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Concord residents balk at Woodlawn plan

Local News

Scores of residents packed the Concord Township municipal building to hear about a proposed plan that would rezone and develop 324 acres of land. More than 40 members of the standing room only crowd asked for party status to oppose the proposal.

The area is owned by Woodlawn Trustees. As previously reported, Woodlawn wants to sell off some of the land so that it can continue to provide affordable housing in Wilmington.

Concord Township supervisors began — and continued — two hearings on the matter Oct. 2. One hearing was on the proposed zoning change; the other hearing was for land development. Both were continued to 7 p.m., Oct. 30.

The area in question runs along the west side of Route 202 from the Delaware state line north to Smithbridge Road. The western boundary is along the border with Chadds Ford Township.

There are three zoning districts in the area, but Woodlawn wants to rezone it into a new single district, R-PRD-4, that will require more open space, but allow for both residential and commercial use. The commercial area is in the southeast part of the property abutting Route 202.

While many residents in the mostly pastoral area of Concord complained about the possibility of losing their current country feel and open space, space where there are horse farms, Brandywine Summit Camp Ground and the Penns Wood Winery, security was the concern for residents who will wind up bordering the commercial area.

As one resident said, he could wind up living 50 feet away from a big-box store.

“Is that enough to keep my 7-year-old daughter from being abducted,” he asked.

Supervisors’ Chairman Dominic Pileggi told all the residents that they had valid concerns that would be taken into consideration.

Marc Kaplan, the attorney representing Woodlawn, echoed Pileggi, adding that Woodlawn would do what it can “to make this work.”

As currently zoned, developers could put up 209 apartments, 249 townhouses, develop 20,000 square feet of commercial space, but provide only 15-20 acres of dedicated open space.

Under the proposed zoning, there would be 314 townhomes, 120 age-restricted units, 195,000 square feet of commercial property and 209 acres of permanently preserved open space.

Unless supervisors deny the plan early, approval is estimated to take a year or longer, according to several sources on the board.

About Rich Schwartzman

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Costco plans Nov. 10 opening

Local News

Costco plans to open its new Concord Township store on Nov. 10. That’s the word from Howard Randolph, the warehouse manager for the store on Evergreen Drive in the Brinton Lake shopping area.

Concord Township officials gave the final approval for the plan last summer and construction began in the fall.

Randolph said there would be nothing out of the ordinary at the new store. It would be like other Costco stores, so people will know how to navigate the aisles to get what they want.

“We try to make it consistent so that when members go from building to building they’ll know where to find things,” Randolph said.

Unlike the store near the Christiana Mall, however, the Brinton lake store will also have a gas station. Randolph sees the gas station as a “great service” to members.

Randolph said there are two membership levels. Basic membership is $55 per year, while the executive membership is $110 per year. Executive level members get 2 percent of their purchase price back at the end of the year. There are also other services available to executive members that are not available to the basic members.

For people not familiar with Costco, Randolph said the store is volume driven, which gives the store greater purchasing power. Costco also sells ahead of a season rather than during the season, he said.

“By doing so, we get in and out quick so we can bring new items in faster than our customers,” said Randolph.

The store will be adding jobs to the community. Randolph said about 140 people would be hired to staff the new location.

Costco sells food, clothing, furniture, electronics and a variety of other consumer related merchandise.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Photo caption: The Costco store in Concord Township is nearing completion. (Photo by Rich Schwartzman)

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Townhouses proposed for Pulsations lot

Along the Ford

A Malvern-based developer wants to build a 58-unit townhouse complex on the parking lot of the former Pulsations nightclub in Concord Township.

Bo Erixxon, vice president of land and site development for The Benson Companies, and attorney Don Petrosa, made a brief, preliminary presentation on the project to Concord Township supervisors during the board’s June 5 meeting.

The property, in the C-2 zoning district, is more than 4 acres in size. It’s located at 240 Baltimore Pike (Route 1 at Dougherty Road).

Erixxon said the 58 units, if the plan goes through, would be stacked twins selling for $300,000 to $400,000. The target buyers would be empty nesters.

The preliminary plan calls for landscaped buffering and the construction of an interior road.

Supervisors’ Chairman Dominic Pileggi said of the idea: “We can take a parking lot and turn it into something nice.”

Despite Pileggi’s comment, the presentation was only preliminary and the board will decide later whether it wants to hear more. If it does, the applicant will have to go through a conditional use hearing as well as get the Planning Commission’s recommendation before getting final approval from the Board of Supervisors.

Pulsations opened in 1983, but ran into financial trouble a decade later. Exotic dancers were brought in, and the community turned against the owners. The business twice filed for bankruptcy and was finally closed in 1994.

–By Rich Schwartzman

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