Tredyffrin Township officials and quasi useless supervisors are your ears burning? First y’all are a hot topic for the better part of an hour on WCHE’s show “All Politics Are Local with Barry Dee”. I’m sure they will want to blame me, but I actually wasn’t a guest this week but it was interesting because one of the things that was layered in the topic of right to know requests and how to file them with the recent swath of development again in Tredyffrin.

People are tired of it and one of the things people are tired of includes were losing not only open space, but our heritage trees. That’s a hot topic in East Whiteland as well because there are two very old sycamores near the old “Importer Barn” or Hibbard Barn. On that property, these trees are crazy old and crazy huge. Giant diameter trunks. One at least dates to close to American Revolutionary era. Will they stay or will they go now? I think in the end they will go because it’s like developers today HATE trees. Trees mean work. I love trees. We spend enough to preserve and care for our old growth heritage trees personally. We don’t have to, we do it because it’s the right thing to do. As humans, we should be better caretakers of nature.

So anyway, sorry small tangent on trees…I love them…and not enough municipalities give a damn. So when I saw a post pop up on social media the other day it was an “a ha” moment because it corresponds to a giant right to know I was sent at some point recently and filed away until I had time to look at it. Truthfully, I had forgotten about it but then it all made sense. I still have not waded through it enough. Here was the moment of clarity:

OMFG. This is what neighbors are becoming increasingly upset about on Vincent Road. And it’s not easy to find anything other than shifting sands on Tredyffrin’s website.

In 2008 residents were upset about stormwater on Vincent and frankly, the then Township Manager was rude enough IMHO that it was reflected in the meeting minutes, which I found:

https://www.tredyffrin.org/home/showpublisheddocument/986

In 2010 there was a mention on some Maude-Lisa-Vincent drainage project:

/https://www.tredyffrin.org/home/showpublisheddocument/1037

As a matter of fact there are a LOT of historical documents about stormwater for that area….but nothing about the development plan. And if I am investigating properly, the issue of this parcel has been bandied about like a badminton shuttlecock for a few years already, right? So how is it not really discussed publicly? Did I blink and miss some minutia? I went to the county to see what was filed. A stormwater plan document from 2024 (where’s the flood hazard of it all?), new deed, and a development plan that looks like it came out of a time machine:

But I still wasn’t finding much else. Now don’t forget, Tredyffrin’s current manager is Bill Martin. He was from Radnor Township via Bridgeport…he was in Radnor during the Bashore era. I wrote about it in 2012:

tredyffrin has hired a new manager…

Anyway, Tredyffrin has always had an issue with cloudy days. 105 Vincent being a HUGE surprise to a lot of fairly local residents is but the most recent example. And oy the butchering of the trees. And the loss of open space for what? A super dated subdivision plan which you know will sprout McMansions never intended for the original ideas? So here is what residents who have just realized what was going on are saying, and I am providing a mash-up:

…So sad to see this development taking place at 252 and Central Ave. This area was home to different species of trees, wild raspberries and blackberries, hawks, deer, chipmunks, various species of songbirds not to mention that run off from the top of the hill goes down the road and floods this area. I took pictures before and after the area started being cleared. Yes I get that the township voted on it. Funny I knew nothing about it and live just a few blocks away. If you are running for office and are an advocate for keeping what little greenspace we have left preserved pls let me know so I can vote for you……The township has a new woodland conservation ordinance. Here is a summary of that ordinance: https://static1.squarespace.com/…/Tredyffrin+Woodland… This looks like more than 5 large trees are being removed, in which case the developer would’ve needed to get a permit and to do this and would be required to plant compensatory trees. Please submit a complaint to to code enforcement (with photos) here: https://www.tredyffrin.org/…/df0fde129f454c0d8cc36a…/163 Code enforcement will let you know if it’s legit, or investigate if it’s unlawful……Oh no… More traffic at that horrible bottleneck leading to rt 30….Townships seem to have few boundaries when it comes to approving new building on open land. I have seen this over and over. When our township notifies area homeowners of a proposal and asks for feedback, the decision has often already been made. They don’t represent us in my opinion. Their prime interest is the tax base….I was so upset to see this the other day!

So. The lightbulb. All of a sudden I realized that giant right to know I had not really looked at and filed away was about THIS. The county is super slow updating things so current ownership not showing yet but here’s the now dated ownership info:

According to the new deed I found the land sold for $900,000.

Anyway, Tredyffrin Supervisors need to do better. Waterloo has arrived again, ladies and gentleman. No other way to dance about it.

Here’s the giant right to know. I have not had time to disseminate it, but Tredyffrin residents may find it of value and use: