Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Catalyst Loses Appeal at Chester County Court of Common Pleas – Says NO to Digital Billboards in Tredyffrin Township!

Community Matters!

In a huge win for its residents, Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Tunnell upheld the decision of Tredyffrin Township Zoning Hearing Board and denied Catalyst Outdoor (Tredyffrin Outdoor LLC) its appeal for digital billboards.

Catalyst had sought to install a digital billboard at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Rt. 252 in Paoli (Clockworks building). After its application received a denial decision by Tredyffrin Township Zoning Hearing Board, Catalyst filed an appeal nearly two years ago in November 2019.

And then yesterday, we received great news from Chester County Court of Common Pleas, upholding the ZHB decision and denying Catalyst its appeal.  Judge Tunnell’s decision reads in part,

“ … Appellant Tredyffrin Outdoor, LLC filed this appeal from the Decision of the Zoning Hearing Board (“Board” or “Appellee”) of Tredyffrin Township (“Township”), which affirmed the denial of Appellant’s permit application for an advertising sign and rejected its validity challenge to the” Township’s zoning ordinance. Upon review of the record, and for the reasons set forth herein, the court finds no error in the Board’s Decision. Consequently, Appellant’s present appeal is denied….”

I know that Catalyst has the right to appeal Judge Tunnell’s decision but (she says with fingers-crossed), here’s hoping that this latest decision sends a sufficiently loud anti-digital billboard message! In addition, the Common Pleas decision should encourage and give hope to other municipalities doing battle with Catalyst over digital billboards!

A great day in Tredyffrin Township! The “Ban Digital Billboards” campaign in Tredyffrin Township united residents like no other issue in recent years … the Chester County Court of Common Pleas decision is a testament that community matters!

Thank you to Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors and Zoning Hearing Board, for hearing our voices!

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7 Comments

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  1. Thank-you Pattye,

    To thank you adequately is impossible. You spend long hours on various community issues, sacrificing your personal time for the greater good of our citizenry. You take great care to listen, and get the facts straight so that community members can be informed in each situation and be a part of decisions made. I appreciate your invaluable expertise and personal skills that are essential in the community service you provide.

    Needless to say, this would not have been the outcome without you.

  2. Wonderful – and thanks for speaking out, Pattye! Let’s all keep an eye on these and efforts by others to divide and diminish our communities with these awful signs.

  3. I’ll first start by echoing the comments of others who have thanked you for your reporting on the subject of the digital billboard. I will be cautiously optimistic that this latest action will make Catalyst question the viability of their proposal going forward. However, I am concerned that their high-powered lawyers will seek to appeal to the next legal venue with jurisdiction over the matter. Let’s hope this is the final chapter in this saga!

  4. Thank you Pattye for your perseverance and mobilizing the Community against the Catalyst proposal.
    I can only imagine the legal fees Catalyst paid for this failed effort! What grounds would they have for an appeal? Hopefully, this is a lesson to anyone who desires to violate the wishes of a community. It also is a lesson on how the Community needs to advocate through effective communications.

  5. I wasn’t aware this was now up for appeal. Thank you Pattye for keeping abreast of this. Thank you Judge Tunnell for upholding the township’s ZHB decision. This is great news for Tredyffrin. As an aside, personally thanking Judge Tunnell for his service on the Court of Common Pleas. His term is completed this year.

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