Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant Supporters From Outside Tredyffrin!

August 18, 2010
37 Comments

We understand that student housing problems and landlord issues are not limited to the borders of Tredyffrin Township. Locally we know that Radnor, Lower Merion and Haverford townships have all had their share of ongoing issues with designing ordinances that help residents and then the enforcement issues that go along with these ordinances.

Carla from Save Ardmore Coalition who understands the associated problems of student rentals and the specific problems that the rentals have caused in Mt. Pleasant has weighed in on our Monday supervisors meeting. It’s good to know that Mt. Pleasant has advocates outside the township who will be watching (and reporting) the progress of these ordinance changes to the community.

Tredyffrin Stops Recording Public Meeting at 11:20 P.M., Passes Student Housing Ordinance – Mt. Pleasant Still Kind of Screwed

So as we learned courtesy of John Haines, Tredyffrin magically stopped recording their meeting at 11:20 p.m. Now the student housing stuff passed – not on camera- and thanks to Pattye Benson our intrepid Tredyffrin blogging pal, we have an update (including the fact that Tredyffrin had no air conditioning on in their building!)- bear in mind that in the panhandle, where Mt. Pleasant is that over the past five years, the total number of student rentals has risen from 0 to 22 – in a small area that is significant, and as I have seen it myself, I hope Tredyffrin Township doesn’t continue to show a blind eye.

One thing in about what you are to read that annoys me is Tredyffrin pulling the classic Lower Merion “we can’t do anything, it’s PA law”.

I for one am tired of that. Sometimes local governments CAN’T do anything more, sometimes they CAN get creative and find a legal loophole. And all these municipalities are capable of going to Harrisburg when it’s something they want, and they never want to do anything if it’s something they don’t give a crap about.

In my humble opinion, Tredyffrin did not like getting their hand forced by residents over student housing and truthfully don’t give a crap. Maybe Pattye and some of the others will say I am being too harsh, but it is what I believe. Tredyffrin had better do better now that they passed the student housing items – many are watching now. And any of you out there, if Tredyffrin doesn’t do as they say, feel free to join the conversation up here and tell us – Tredyffrin residents, you are your own best advocates, and while some of us can recount an issue as told to us, it’s your community and you can say it best.

Maybe now Tredyffrin will start to show the historic community of Mt. Pleasant some respect in other ways too? Or will they just let speculative development plow under history? What happened last night is a beginning, but it can’t and shouldn’t be the only action on the part of Tredyffrin.

Save Ardmore Coalition Blogger Weighs in on Tredyffrin’s Student Housing Issues

August 14, 2010
4 Comments

Over at Save Ardmore Coalition, Carla has been following the ongoing problems of the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and the student housing situation. Reciprocal links are exchanged between SAC and Community Matters and thanks to social media, there are immediate notifications as the sites are updated. I wrote of Tredyffrin’s upcoming public meeting re proposed college housing ordinances and Carla responded with the following on her website:

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ALERT!!! Dead of Summer Meeting on Student Housing in Tredyffrin MONDAY AUGUST 16th!

For almost a year now thanks to a blog/website I found and nice woman named Christine I met, I have been following the issue of off campus student housing in Tredyffrin.

This off campus student housing issue in Tredyffrin is quite serious because in my opinion Tredyffrin Township is all F*****d up with no place to go on the issue.

The issue is horrific in Mt. Pleasant, a historic African American community in the panhandle or Wayne section of Tredyffrin. But I also know a dear friend’s sister and her husband (and she is an old school chum of mine as well) who are in another very nice neighborhood in Tredyffrin off Old Eagle School who also put up with what often amounts to party city.

For years, while other municipalities like Radnor, Lower Merion, and Haverford Townships were creating rules (because you can only say creating zoning in Haverford and Lower Merion, because in Radnor Township, student housing is dumbly NOT in zoning I believe) surrounding off campus student housing and the number of people wh can live in group housing situations, Tredyffrin pretty much ignored it. So in Tredyffrin for the past however many years, off campus student houses all year round have resembled over-crowded shore houses in many cases.

I first became interested in this when I heard the plight of a mom in Tredyffrin who would awaken to things like a drunken college student peeing on her child’s toys in her fenced in yard. Then I heard stories of lack of action on almost mob mentality by Tredyffrin Police and the problems she had calling the police and getting them to respond. This was followed by reports of properties being gobbled up by developers, slum lords who wanted to turn a single family home into twins, etc and how Miss Mazie’s house had fared in Mt. Pleasant.

I have sat on the sidelines and watched as all these Tredyffrin residents have gotten jerked around by Tredyffrin Township officials and I think it is still happening because Tredyffrin has scheduled the crucial public meeting to decide on this student housing ordinance and how good it will be or how much it will suck for the DEAD, DEAD, DEAD of summer when all ther municipalities around aren’t even scheduling meetings. To me that is very telling on how important they think this is.

So I am posting this and hoping others out there who blog will cross post this and twitter it and Facebook it and tell whomever they know in the media to consider covering it so these people in Tredyffrin get a break from slum lords who just want to shove as many bodies as possible into rental properties – which if course in the event of fires and whatnot is also not safe for the students – and you know darn well these landlords are also probably charging these students a fortune too.

My fear as residents just try to get some rules in place is that Tredyffrin will grandfather so many of the places and not have proper seperation requirements that the zoning, etc will be worthless. And we all know when a local government wants to blow something by the residents and taxpayers the best time to do that is to schedule meetings when a lot of people aren’t around. Oldest trick in the book.

Many thanks to Pattye Benson over at Tredyffrin…Community Matters for notifying us of this crucial public meeting. . .

Proposed College Student Housing Ordinances – Public Meeting on Monday, August 16

August 12, 2010
2 Comments
On July 15, I attended the very long Planning Commission meeting regarding the two proposed township student housing ordinances. The proposed ordinances were reviewed by the Planning Commission at their public meeting and will be the subject of a hearing at the Board of Supervisors public meeting on Monday, August 16. If the proposed ordinances are passed, they will be instituted township-wide.

However, the focus of the attention has been on the Mt. Pleasant community and their ongoing struggles with student housing. Many Mt. Pleasant residents attended the Planning Commission and expressed their concerns in regards to student housing and the need for ordinances that can be enforced. The Planning Commissioners listened and came up with very strict guidelines for the proposed ordinances.

To review the draft zoning ordinance amendment, click here.

To review the draft registration ordinance, click here.

In advance of the public meeting on Monday, I received the following email from Donna Shipman, a resident of Mt. Pleasant encouraging her neighbors to attend. As Donna reminds us, the student housing rentals is not just a Mt. Pleasant issue but rather it is a township-wide issue. I support Donna and the Mt. Pleasant community as they face the challenges of student rentals in their neighborhood.

Hello,
I just wanted to remind everyone that on Monday Aug 16, 2010 at BOS Public meeting the College ordinance along with the Registration ordinance will be debated and voting on. I am asking that you please send out a reminder to your neighbors and friends encouraging them to attend the 7:30 PM meeting.
We still have issues with the 2 pending ordinances and we need for the BOS to see that this is NOT A MT PLEASANT ONLY ISSUE but a Tredyffrin Township issue. You did such a wonderful job at the Planning Commission hearing I am hoping for a repeat.
Please pass the word about the meeting and let me know if you require further information on the matter. Please note that the pending amendment ordinances are out on the Township’s website.
Thank you in advance for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Donna B. Shipman
Block Captain – Mt Pleasant Ave.

Student Housing Zoning Ordinance & Student Registration Ordinance Takes the Next Step . . . Planning Commission to Review on Thursday

July 13, 2010
Comments

Based on direction from the supervisors at the June Board of Supervisors meeting, the prospective student housing zoning ordinance takes it next step this week . . . it moves to the Planning Commission. The draft zoning ordinance amendment will be reviewed at the Planning Commission’s July 15 public meeting and at the Board of Supervisors’ August 16 public meeting. According to the township website:

The Zoning Ordinance amendment establishes a new use that the ordinance will regulate called “Student Home”; and permits this use in the R- ½, R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 zoning districts by special exception approval. Special exception approval means that the use, in each instance, needs to be approved by the Tredyffrin Township Zoning Hearing Board. The draft amendment establishes criteria that must be met before the Zoning Hearing Board can authorize the special exception approval.

In addition to the student housing zoning ordinance, there is a separate ordinance concerning college students living in the township – Registration Ordinance This proposed ordinance would enact a new Chapter 151, Property Registration for student rental units, to provide for a register of contact information regarding student rental units. The parameters surrounding the registration of students living in Tredyffrin may have interesting ramifications.

Although the proposed Zoning Ordinance and Registration Ordinance would be in effect for the entire township; the focus of attention has centered on student housing issues in the Mt. Pleasant community. The Mt. Pleasant Civic Association has sent out the following email asking for support at the Planning Commission Workshop meeting. If you have an interest in the regulation of student housing in Tredyffrin, I would encourage you to attend the meeting on Thursday night.

“Your support is needed!
Tredyffrin Township’s Planning Commission will be discussing the pending registration ordinance for college housing within our township on Thursday, July 15, 7:30 PM . . .
The ordinance in its current form is weak and it needs allot of teeth in it to be effective. We want the BOS and the Zoning Board to mirror Radnor’s college housing ordinance. Radnor’s ordinance is strong and it has teeth in it that our Police department and Township can use to enforce the ordinance. The BOS feels that the college housing issue is only an issue in the Mt Pleasant Community so we are in need of your support to show BOS that the ordeal of the college housing is a township issue that effects the entire Tredyffrin Community.
Without your support and attendance at this meeting (and the upcoming BOS meeting for the second part of the ordinance) the ordinance may pass with alot of holes in it and we don’t want that! We want them to get it right the first time. By a show of members from the Community we will show them that the whole Tredyffrin Community is watching and will hold them accountable for their inactive or specifically their lack of real action.
On behalf of the Mt Pleasant Civic Association and Mt Pleasant Community we want to thank you in advance for your continued support. . . “

Update from Board of Supervisors Meeting

April 6, 2010
2 Comments

Last night’s Board of Supervisor meeting went very quickly. A few updates — The newly formed Sidewalk Committee and the Stormwater Committee are both going to meet this month. On the subject of the Sidewalk Committee, there were a couple of residents who live on Upper Gulph Road (close to N. Wayne Ave.) who spoke about sidewalks on Upper Gulph Rd. Neither were fans of sidewalks on their street; explaining that their houses are very close to the road, and in one case a sidewalk could come so close as to effect the foundation of their historic house. The gentleman with the historic home told the supervisors that a sidewalk would come within 5 ft. of his house and that if a sidewalk was planned for his section of Upper Gulph Rd. he would expect that the township purchase his house. He distributed photos of his house to the supervisors to make his point. He also mentioned some email circulating in his neighborhood about sidewalks on Upper Gulph and Paul Olson, . . . I didn’t understand that comment or its significance. Perhaps someone can offer clarification.

Mt. Pleasant was discussed under new business by the supervisors. In Mimi Gleason’s absence, Assistant Twp Mgr Tom Scott updated on Mt. Pleasant. He explained that the demolition had started for the Henry Ave. townhouse development. It was obvious that Mr. Scott had not visited Mt. Pleasant because as I have previously indicated on Community Matters all 4 vacant, abandoned houses are now down and rubble removed at the future townhouse site. Discussion continues on the Mt. Pleasant Ave. vacant lot; Mr. Scott mentioned that the Chester County Health Department has been notified and there will be follow-up with that organization. On the subject of the student housing ordinance, discussion is ongoing. Supervisors DiBuonaventuro and Kichline both spoke about the ordinance and encouraged the residents to get involved in that process and to review neighboring municipality ordinances. Mt. Pleasant residents Donna Shipman and Christine Johnson both presented personal comments on their neighborhood; and thanked those involved for attending the town hall meeting. There are positive changes in Mt. Pleasant and I am encouraged. As an aside, following the meeting, Bob Lamina thanked me for posting the photos of Mt. Pleasant; confirming my belief that pictures do speak a 1,000 words.

Another topic of discussion last night . . . everyone should be aware of the upcoming clean-up Tredyffrin days on April 17 and 18, 9 AM – 3 PM. I encourage everyone to get involved in your community. We all know that is was a very long, hard winter and major clean-up is required to get our neighborhoods back in order. Even if you only have an hour or so to spare, please consider helping with this worthwhile community event . . . Tidy Up Tredyffrin Day!

One of the highlights of the Board of Supervisors meeting was brought up by Supervisor DiBuonaventuro. On behalf of the Parks Board (he serves as the Board liaison) DiBuonaventuro asked Chairman Lamina about furthering the process to have the gazebo at Wilson Farm Park officially named for former supervisor Judy DiFilippo. Some of you may recall, that upon the opening of Wilson Farm Park, the Parks Board had asked that the Board of Supervisors officially name the gazebo after Judy for her hard work and dedication in making the park a reality. At the time, the decision was made not to move forward on the dedication because Judy was a serving supervisor; rather they made the decision to postpone further discussion until the time Judy was no longer a supervisor. I’m excited to report that the time has come . . . there will be a ceremony to dedicate the gazebo in Judy’s name. Biased as I am, I am hoping that we can make the dedication in to a very special celebration!

Evidence of Positive Change in Mt. Pleasant

April 3, 2010
11 Comments

I decided to drive over to Mt. Pleasant yesterday to check on the progress of the demolition at the Henry Ave. development. A week ago, Maizie Hall’s house was taken down but there remained a pile of debris along with 3 other vacant, abandoned houses. I posted photos of the remaining houses and the trash so I was anxious to see what (if any) progress had been made.

Final Abandoned House Coming Down! As I drove down Henry Ave. was I ever surprised! The 2 abandoned houses on the corner of Fairview and Henry Avenues were already down and all debris cleared from those houses in addition to complete clean-up of Maizie Hall’s house. And the demolition crew were about 75% finished with the demolition on the remaining house. Such an improvement to what had been there a week ago!
I talked to the two members of the demolition crew who looked to be in charge; I was amazed that neither asked me who I was or why I was taking photos. They were only too happy to answer my questions and could not have been nicer. I was told that all demo and clean-up work would be completed today. On Monday, they will start the land development part of the construction which includes levelling of the land and laying underground utilities.
I told them that I had heard that there might be financial issues with the developer — I asked if that information was true; and if so would finances slow down the development schedule. I was told that information is inaccurate. Not only is the development project moving ahead, I was told that 2 of the townhouses have already been sold (pre-construction sale) and house sales will push the project more quickly. Although they were not completely sure of the pricing on the townhouses; they agreed that my suggested price tag of $300K was probably about right and in the ballpark.
I’m thrilled that in 1-1/2 weeks Mt. Pleasant went from 4 abandoned, empty houses, that were causing me safety concerns for the neighborhood kids, to complete demolition and clean-up. Maybe pictures do speak louder than words! The demolition guys also told me they heard that someone in the township was driving the clean-up. Hmm. . . ? I love it when the system works! The vacant lot is next on my agenda for clean-up in Mt. Pleasant.

Community Matters Mainstreams into Main Line Suburban Life Newspaper

April 2, 2010
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Community Matters mainstreamed into Ray Hoffman’s column in this weeks’ Main Line Suburban Life. I thanked Ray for his mention and left a comment that Community Matters is now independently hosted with a new web address, www.pattyebenson.org . Through the paper, I’m hoping that more readers will join our discussion.

” . . . 2) Mt. Pleasant meeting: Pattye Benson, author of the popular Community Matters blog (pattyebenson.wordpress.com), attended a town meeting in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood last week, as did a church full of local residents and a few local government officials. If you haven’t already, visit Pattye’s blog and read about a couple of rather deplorable conditions directly across the road from, heaven forbid, St. Davids Golf Club, one of the Main Line’s most prestigious addresses. St. Davids has nothing to do with the problems at the Mt. Pleasant miasmic panhandle, but it seems ironic that the township supervisor representing this district was very visible in the recent matter of “the sidewalk” at St. Davids but was notably absent from the Mt. Pleasant meeting.

Simply stated, the meeting was about problems with rental residents (students) who have become concerns to the full-time residents of the area, and a vacant lot that is a mound of crumbled concrete and ever-increasing trash (broken bottles, tin cans, car tires, etc.). According to a neighbor, the overgrown lot is an eyesore and a haven for rodents that have also infiltrated her home. Township Manager Mimi Gleason has taken action about the vacant lot, as have both the Chester County Board of Health and the state Department of Environmental Protection. A resolution should be forthcoming within days. The township also hopes to resolve the concerns about noise and other behavior of the students living in the rental properties. . . .”

A reminder that Monday, April 5 is the Board of Supervisors Meeting, 7:30 PM, Keene Hall, Township Building. There’s some supervisor housekeeping issues that should be addressed — what is the status on the newly formed Sidewalks Committee (have they met, worked out a mission and schedule); public update on the ‘cardboard check’ to the fire companies and official update on the Mt. Pleasant community. I am going to suggest to some of the Mt. Pleasant residents that I know that they should attend the meeting; their neighborhood is a ‘talking point’ and we need residents there to help clarify the update.

Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda to Include Mt. Pleasant Update

March 31, 2010
5 Comments

Just to update . . . I had sent an email to the Board of Supervisors this week requesting that a Mt. Pleasant update be added to next week’s supervisors meeting. I requested that the Mt. Pleasant update include (1) Town Hall Meeting summary; (2) college student housing ordinance; (3) status of vacant lot on Mt. Pleasant Ave; and (4) vacant houses on future site of Henry Ave. townhouse development. I’m pleased to report that I received a response from Mimi Gleason that an official update would be given at Board of Supervisors Meeting as part of the supervisor liaison reporting. The next Board of Supervisors Meeting is Monday, April 5, 7:30 PM.

Now that supervisors and township staff are aware of the issues at Mt. Pleasant, I am confident that there has been movement on many fronts.

Mt. Pleasant Update . . . 1 house demolished, 3 still standing

March 28, 2010
5 Comments

Here’s an update on the vacant houses on Henry and Fairview Avenues in Mt. Pleasant, the site of the new townhouse development. Mt. Pleasant resident Christine Johnson notified me that Maizie Hall’s house on Henry Ave was demolished yesterday. I’m not sure exactly what motivated the developer yesterday to start the demolishing process (could it have been the wide circulation of my photos?) but I’m impressed!

Not knowing the status on the other 3 houses (2 are on Henry Ave. and the house is around the corner on Fairview Ave.) I drove over to Mt. Pleasant this afternoon. I found quite the pile of rubble where Maizie Hall’s house stood a couple of days ago. In addition to the rubble, 3 other houses remain on the property that are slated for demolition. Three large pieces of equipment are on site, so I am assuming that these houses will be coming down in the next few days. If you would like to see photos of the other houses that remain on site, click here for a slideshow. To see the individual photos in Mt. Pleasant, click here.

All that remains of Maizie Hall's childhood home.

These crumbling steps are located at 985 Fairview Avenue . . . they lead to an abandoned, vacant house on the site of the new townhouse community coming to Mt. Pleasant. Maizie Hall’s house was demolished yesterday and I am assuming that the big heavy equipment that is on site will be removing the other 3 houses, including the Fairview Ave. house.

While I was at Mt. Pleasant today, I met the next-door neighbor of the planned townhouse development. He was glad to see the abandoned houses coming down but pointed out that 2 of the houses that are still standing, have actually been vacant and abandoned for at least 5 years . . . apparently the developer purchased those 2 houses at a foreclosure bank sale. To leave his house for the last 5 years, this Mt. Pleasant neighbor has had to go past these rundown, abandoned houses. I guess he is glad to see some movement on their demolition.

Safety Issues at Henry Avenue, Mt. Pleasant . . . Is Developer Responsible for Securing Construction Site?

March 26, 2010
14 Comments

At the Town Hall Meeting this week, Mt. Pleasant residents had several concerns in addition to the college student-landlord issues. I addressed the vacant lot at 958 Mt. Pleasant Road in yesterday’s post and sent a related email to the Board of Supervisors and Township Manager Mimi Gleason (with link to the post on Community Matters). I am pleased to report that I received a response from Mimi with the following information:

(1) Township staff is following up with the complaints about 958 Mount Pleasant Avenue. So far, we have not gotten a response from the property owner, but are continuing to work on it.

(2) Staff from the Chester County Health Department also was at the site this week. As far as we know, they have not issued any kind of decision yet.

(3) Staff from the PA Department of Environmental Protection are supposed to inspect the property next week.

(4) Now that the complaints about 958 Mount Pleasant Avenue have been brought to the Township’s attention, we will do everything we can to address the situation.

Thank you to our Township Manager for her follow-up with the Mt. Pleasant Ave. vacant lot; I am sure that we will begin to see a clean-up in that area.

One of the other concerns that surfaced at the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall Meeting was the vacant houses at the end of Henry Ave., the future site development to include 8 townhouses & 1 family home. Developer F & H Main Line has an approved land development plan. Much to the chagrin of neighboring Mt. Pleasant Road residents, whose homes back up to the construction site, the property was completely clear-cut and specimen trees were not saved. According to these neighbors, specimen trees were to be saved and unfortunately that did not occur.

Community members are concerned about the vacant houses that have been left accessible by the developer. Although the vacant houses are slated for demolition, there does not seem to be a timeline. In the meantime, the houses have not been boarded up — the windows and doors are open and are encouraging the local kids to run in and out. There are no posted ‘keep out’ signs nor is there any fencing surrounding the construction site.

Note: I created a set of photos that I feel highlight the Henry Ave. development site — the clear-cutting of the property and the safety issues surrounding the vacant buildings.

Click here to review the photos with comments on Flickr. If you prefer a slideshow presentation, click here.

Please review the photos and then offer your comment. Do you think that the vacant buildings post a safety concern to the community? Does the developer bear a responsibility to secure the site from the public? Do you think that the township is responsible to make sure that the developer secures the site? In my opinion, accessibility to these vacant houses is a serious accident waiting to happen, would you agree?

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