Oh my goodness, how did I miss this significant development plan in Tredyffrin Township!? For those that may not have heard, there is a proposed plan for 85 townhouses on the Doyle & McDonnell nursery property next to Conestoga High School. Yes, Toll Brothers has signed an agreement of sale for the 13 acre Doyle nursery property in Berwyn with plans for 85 townhouses. However — the Doyle property is zoned R-1 residential which means that multi-family townhouses are not a by right use.
It is my understanding that the school district has a right of first refusal on the property but has yet to exercise it. Would it not make sense to acquire the property and build the parking lot for the high school expansion project on the Doyle property? Or possibly build two schools, one for 9 and 10 and the other 11 and 12. With the existing stormwater issues and concern of the neighbors over the proposed parking lot site on Irish Road, will the District look at the Doyle property?
Some of us worried about the deep pockets of Catalyst Outdoor and its ability to fight the community over the digital billboard situation – but a quick check on Wikipedia ranks Toll Brothers (www.tollbrothers.com), a public company as the 10th largest home builder in the US, trades on NYSE:TOL and lists 2017 revenue at $5.8 billion!
Generally we hear rumors about a development plan before it gets to this stage but with a Toll Brothers agreement of sale and a conceptual sketch drawing filed with the township, looks like the ball is rolling fast! Many of us are troubled about the rate of development in the township and the impact on school district enrollment, traffic, stormwater, open space and on and on! The next Planning Commission meeting is Thursday, Nov. 21 and concerned citizens should plan to attend!
When Tredyffrin and Easttown supervisor candidates responded to the Community Matters question about the number one issue facing the township, real estate development was at the top of the list. In Tredyffrin Township, many of the candidates (and now elected supervisors) heard that residents wanted final land development approval to go to the supervisors. How quickly could the supervisors enact that change and will it make a difference? Remember, Catalyst came to the township fifteen months ago with its proposed digital billboard project and the township has yet to update/change its signage ordinance to address the issue. Perhaps our newly elected supervisors will provide action for the voices of the community.
If I had a vote, I’d say slow roll the high school expansion plans and thoroughly investigate ALL alternatives!