Neighbors, HOA question impact on traffic, parking
By Karen Cresta, Staff Writer, The Times
Pocopson Township Supervisors (from left) Alice Balsama, Elaine DiMonte, and Ricki Stumpo review the memorandum presented by Adam Marcus opposing the day care center on Winston Lane in Riverside at Chadds Ford community.
POCOPSON – The township board of supervisors’ meeting on Monday evening was mostly spent debating over the proposed children’s daycare facility on Winston Lane in the community of Riverside at Chadds Ford.
The new proposed center is opposed by some residents and Adam G. Marcus, an attorney representing the homeowners’ association, did not hesitate to pose many unknowns to Victor Kelly an engineer of Riverside Daycare Partnership during his presentation seeking approval of the preliminary plans.
Kelly presented to the board the 10,000-square-foot rendering of the Ducklings Early Learning Center building expected to house about 120 children. He stated that the township’s planning commission supported the three waivers being requested.
Marcus stood to ask questions after Kelly’s presentation and said the group he is representing from the HOA strongly opposed the application. Marcus posed many questions to Kelly about the proposed plans such as traffic and parking for the potential of 120 drop-offs and pick-ups.
“We all know this was identified as a daycare center…what everyone is missing in the beginning is essentially this is a school…,” Kelly said.
“I feel like I’m watching a debate here,” said supervisor Elaine DiMonte.
The HOA president, Scott Kirkland, informed the audience and the board that the homeowners put a petition together but did not get enough votes to purchase the two-acre parcel on Winston Lane.
Another less expensive proposal to buy back Winston Lane from the township was presented by Marcus in order to block the facility from being built on a private road that the community would own and therefor would close to the public.
Such a move might impact the running of Unionville-Chadds Ford’s School District school buses through the neighborhood. A few years ago, as the township wrangled with Toll Brothers over the dedication of the development’s roadways, buses were limited to pick ups on Rt. 52 or Pocopson Road. As a policy, the school district doesn’t usually run bus routes on privately owned roadways.
Other residents of the community who were in attendance stated they did not hear from the HOA about such a vote and didn’t agree with the association to block the building of the center. One resident said it was “a ridiculous proposition.”
The township supervisors approved the motion to have the township solicitor obtain an estimate on costs associated with making the road private on Winston Lane so that the estimate could be brought back to the homeowners for feasibility.
A memorandum was presented to the three supervisors by Marcus documenting the reasons the building plan should be denied. Supervisors DiMonte, Alice Balsama, and Ricki Stumpo agreed to put the proposal of the center on hold until the planning commission reviewed the memorandum. The supervisors will be added to the planning commission’s meeting agenda in April. The supervisors have until the end of May to make a decision.
In other township business, Richard O’Brien, the township’s building codes provider from Keystone Municipal Services, provided project updates for Phase 1 of the Barnard House. The Kennett Underground Railroad Center will occupy a section of the house after a certificate of occupancy is approved. Security needs to be in place before final approval.
Mark Knightly, Public Works Director, presented estimates for the Barnard House for work on the windows and doors. One estimate was for painting and minimal repairs to rotted window sills at $5,600. The other estimate would be at about $125,000 to replace everything while keeping the architectural integrity of the house.
The supervisors were in agreement to obtain a complete plan for the entire house before making any commitments to the work on the windows and doors at such a high estimate for replacement. They discussed acting swiftly since the grant that was approved will expire next month.
Gary Summers of the township’s planning commission will address adopting a drone ordinance in order to be proactive. Other townships have already put ordinances in place as drone’s gain popularity and liability issues are at the forefront.
Meeting minutes and the meeting schedule can be viewed on the township’s website at www.pocopson.org.
