Residents voice their concerns about The Creamery
By Kelly O’Hara, Staff Writer, The Times
New full-time police officer Jacob Andress was sworn in by Mayor Matthew Fettick at the Kennett Borough Council meeting Tuesday.
It was a busy agenda for the Kennett Square Borough Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.
First on the agenda was the swearing in of new full time police officer, Jacob Andress by Mayor Matthew Fettick. The 29-year-old Andress is the third full time police officer hired by the borough over the past two years. His previous experience includes the police departments of Lincoln University and West Chester University. Friends and family joined him at the ceremony.
Several residents voiced their concerns about the new pop up beer garden, The Creamery, during the public comments portion of the agenda. Charlotte Watson, a long time borough resident, was adamant that The Creamery was a nuisance due to noise, trash, parking and traffic. She insisted that it was not the image Kennett Square should be promoting. Ken Edwards, also a borough resident, cited concerns with exposed wires and access issues.
Tracy Martin, who lives near The Creamery, said she was almost hit by a car while walking her dog. She said that the lack of parking, lighting and sidewalks is a real danger to the residents. Due to the large volume of traffic and patrons parking along both sides of the road, it is extremely congested. Martin also said that the trash is also a major problem. The dumpsters are always full and trash is blowing all over the area. She noted that there are construction materials on the side of the building that are not secured and she is concerned about the structural integrity of some of the concrete.
Borough Council member, Wayne Braffman, addressed some of the concerns. He appreciated the feedback and understood the concerns that were raised. He acknowledged that there are some issues and pledged that the borough council is committed to working with the developers to “get it right.” The council believes that The Creamery is a good thing for the borough, as it is in an area that needs development and has the potential to bring in more development to benefit the area. He also reminded the residents that The Creamery is operating under a temporary use permit that expires the end of the year and they will consider all of the issues before approving the project for the next season.
The council also voted to approve amendments to three ordinances during the meeting. The first was to limit the use of the Park and Recreation Fee to prevent the one-time fees from being used for operation and maintenance of green space but rather to preserve the open space, as was the original intent of the ordinance. The second was to require applicants to obtain zoning approval before obtaining sub-division and land development approval (SALDO). The amendment would help to ensure that zoning requirements are met before going through the SALDO process. The third amendment was to remove the requirement for applicants to go through the conditional use procedure in all zoning districts within the Historic District Overlay. The amendment would allow the process to be handled by the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) which already has a strict set of criteria focused on preserving historic integrity.
Other items of note included a report by a representative from Historic Kennett Square who shared a new summer brochure of events they have produced, that includes events through October. They reported that the Third Thursday events and the downtown farmer’s market continue to be very well received and well attended.
The Kennett Area Park Authority report provided an update on the free summer concert series and the fall fundraiser planned for September 18 that will feature the band, Love Seed Mamma Jump. They were also pleased to report a big increase in registrations for events in the park such as “Bark in the Park” and multiple 5K races along with the very popular Kennett Run, held in May.
Under action items, the council members approved the HARB applications for various signs throughout the borough and a residential demolition and construction project. Two special events applications were approved for this year’s 31st annual Mushroom Festival, which included the parade and dining, and a “Dancing on State” event scheduled for September 9. The festival will go through Sunday, September 11.
Finally, the council voted to provide sidewalk relief to Victory Brewing Co. (600 West Cypress St). A section of the sidewalks was not installed according to the specifications that were submitted and approved. The council agreed to have Victory provide a donation to the borough council for the amount that it would have cost to have the sidewalk ripped up and re-installed. The donation will be used for other planned sidewalk projects within the borough.
