And that’s a wrap until next year! Another amazing holiday house tour from Surrey Services for Seniors
I am an in kind and regular sponsor which I am just mentioning so you know WHY I do the photos and that they are done as a volunteer. (Otherwise you’re not allowed to take pictures inside people‘s homes obviously.)
This year, the houses were so beautifully and perfectly festive!!! I have to say the homeowners knocked themselves out for all of us and it was much appreciated!
I loved all the homes and will be going through photos over the next couple of days, but I will be sharing a little video with you guys below so you can get a flavor for the tour and the shops afterwards, which were also so much fun!
I do have to say my favorite house was on Poplar Avenue in North Wayne. I love that section of Wayne. It is so historic and just being in the neighborhoods there makes you happy because mostly everyone decorates.
If you would like to give a Christmas donation to Surrey, which does so much for people follow this link:
So my neighbors through our woods and behind us ended up with chicks that weren’t properly sexed and yes, the end result was a rooster surprise.
And it’s not like they wanted him, but today they found a farm further out in the county that had room for a young rooster. this rooster had been making all of us laugh because it was just so crazy.
Mr. Rooster had a crow that sounded broken. And he started his day often between 3:30 AM and 3:45 AM.
His owners, as opposed to someone who shall remain nameless in Willistown, have been actively looking to find him a new home on a farm further out. As in a place 10 acres plus.
So today was moving day for Mr. Rooster and he was not having any of it. He liked his suburban subdivision street and his cushy coop. Now, granted, if the lots were just bigger, roosters are good for a flock. I know that. But the street behind me is basically 1 acre lots.
We actually didn’t hear him through the woods until the leaves came off of the trees. But our neighbors are super nice, and we have all. had quite a few giggles about this rooster trying to rehome him. Of course they have small children so a lot of the times it wasn’t funny for the littles.
We were outside today doing gardening chores, and as I had taken a break from planting bulbs to throw some pine straw mulch down, I saw a rooster darting through the woods.
So my husband and I came to our neighbors assistance and it took four adults to wrangle a rooster.
Mr. Rooster thought he could escape us by squeezing through the fence of our other neighbor’s pool enclosure. But he was so indignant about being chased that once he got in there, he had puffed his feathers up so much he couldn’t get out so we were able to keep him corralled until they could get him in a transport box that rescues use for things like cats or small dogs so it was big enough.
As of now, he is settling in to his new home. Hopefully he behaves he wasn’t a mean rooster. He just was loud and his alarm clock was definitely broken.
But I have to admit I laughed so hard my sides were aching afterwards since it was just funny chasing a rooster. And when he ran into our woods and realized there were other humans standing there, he literally had the bird equivalent of an “oh crap” look on his face.
Anyway, you can now add wrangling a rooster to my repertoire.
Freaking Weston is back. I knew it would be and development is inevitable here but West Whiteland’s planning guy talks in circles, and I have always wondered if he was really there for residents?
I haven’t had a chance to read through it, but I am distinctly unsure how many houses they’re talking about. And are they all single-family home or are we talking twins and townhouses?
I don’t trust anything and I certainly don’t trust this township planning employee and I’m sorry not sorry on that regard. I can have these opinions.
And they NEED a traffic signal at Weston Way and King because residents will never be able to get out of driveways and roads in East or West Whiteland.
This photo is several years old.
People can participate on Zoom and I strongly encourage everyone to do so.
This plan is right on W. King Rd. right in West Whiteland over the East Whiteland boundary. It is across the street from the land that Eli Kahn bought from Johnson Matthey for warehouses. that land in particular needs definite careful environmental testing. And I hope that parcel is not big enough for a data center or a mega warehouse.
But first things first and what we’re seeing now is Weston. If you don’t participate where you live, you can’t complain about the outcome.
Yesterday we saw this image from the screenshot above all over TV news stations. The backstory? A 15 year old boy named Kevin Donohue, a sophomore at Malvern Prep in Malvern PA ( public source on this is NBC10 Philadelphia.)
“It is with deep sorrow and profound sadness that we share the tragic news of the passing of Kevin Donahue, a beloved student of Malvern Preparatory School, who was tragically killed in a fatal car accident. Kevin’s untimely departure has left a void in our community, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and all who knew him during this difficult time,” school officials said in a statement. “Kevin was known for his bright spirit, kindness, and positive attitude. As a student at Malvern Prep, he was admired not only for his academic dedication but also for his genuine compassion and friendly nature. Kevin’s presence was a source of joy and encouragement to peers, teachers, and staff alike. His infectious smile and warm personality made him a beloved member of the school community, and his loss is deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Kevin was transported to the hospital, but did not survive his deer related injuries. The was on Route 322 in West Bradford. We can’t say deer alley because well Chester County is overrun with deer. Young Kevin’s sister apparently survived and I can’t imagine what this family and his school community are experiencing. I do know Malvern Prep parents who were devastated by this news.
As the media has reported, including our own IrishEyez in Chester County, the deer was hit by a vehicle traveling the other direction (eastbound 322) and was literally thrown onto this car (traveling westbound 322.) The other vehicle has not been located and police would like to speak with the person. They were possibly driving a black Toyota Sienna. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Embreeville barracks at 610-486-6280.
Malvern Prep is I am told asking for people to respect the privacy of the family, classmates, and school who have suffered a great loss. To that end, be wary of clicking on crap on social media. I have personally reported innumerable and ghoulish predatory Facebook pages today on this. It is click bait and if you click who knows what will happen to your device, computer, etc. Here are few examples so you can avoid them:
This horrible event also prompts a conversation we need to have in Chester County. development has eradicated and drastically condensed not only native habitat for deer, but the predators of deer. I mean yes we have plenty of coyotes, but they seem more intent on what we as humans leave behind, and even our pets.
Deer herds need to be culled, drastically. And humans should want that, not feeding them because they are cute bearers of deer ticks and Lyme disease. I don’t want to hear about BS of deer birth control that will occasionally crop up. We need to cull those herds. All over the county. It needs to be done legally, but it needs to be done. This year there seem to be more deer than ever.
Development. All of the development county-wide, gobbles land like a Pac Man. Why can’t we get Harrisburg to update the Municipalities Planning Code and even allow moratoriums on development? It’s NOT sustainable.
I am so sorry for what people and family of this young man are experiencing. I hope the driver who hit the deer first comes forward. It was a freak accident but their input is needed. Media reports put the accident on 322 near Romig Road.
Standing firmly in their corner: local land-use attorney Phil Rosenzweig, who’s made a career out of crusades for the little guy.
Among his local skirmishes, Rosenzweig championed neighbors’ fights over stadium lights at Lower Merion High School, bulldozers at historic Oakwell in Villanova, and the development of Willistown’s Rockhill Farm. When he was a Lower Merion Commissioner, he wrote the resolution that banished the threat of eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore.
These days, he’s a field general in the pickleball wars. The UMLY lawsuit is his 12thpickleball action.
“I’m really charged up about this because it’s just not right,” Rosenzweig tells SAVVY. “Just because pickle is a hot sport, it doesn’t mean that should take precedence over the quality of life for residential neighbors. Businesses and governments are rushing to find spots to put this stuff. This is literally about whether people have the ability to live peacefully in their homes. Why should any taxpaying citizen be subject to conditions that make it impossible to live there? It’s just offensive.”….
On May 16, three weeks after papers were served, the Y closed its outdoor courts until further notice, sending players scrambling just as the season was heating up.
Among other charges, the suit alleges the Y’s 2022 conversion of clay tennis courts to 12 hard-surfaced pickleball courts was not “simply trading one racquet sport for another” but was a “substantive, massive change” that violated township zoning code and noise ordinances.
The suit claims homeowners’ have suffered “irreparable harm” – with their physical and mental health threatened, their daily lives disrupted, and their right to enjoy peace and quiet in their own homes and yards denied.
Also alleged: the township turned a blind eye to ongoing infractions and conspired with the Y to protect pickleball, “synching narratives” and encouraging the Y to have pickleball players speak at supervisors meetings.
…. “We had a wonderful caring community of pickleball players at the Y that the neighbors blew up with their mean-spirited lawsuit,” player Cathy Rubenstone tells SAVVY. “We are devastated that the Y closed the courts forcing us all to different venues to play.”
Goodness gracious. One would think the chair of another municipality’s planning commission would not be such a salty bitch to residents in a neighboring municipality. She certainly puts the pickle in pickle-puss. Isn’t she the one that used to say there would be no roosters in residential neighborhoods in Willistown?
Anyway read the whole article. It’s fabulous. Caroline O’Halloran did a great job and the pickle of it all is still very much happening in Easttown, complete with a full complement of pickle-pusses.
Yesterday I threw up a post about a problem in East Whiteland with an orphaned railroad bridge/underpass. It was once part of the West Chester Railroad. The structure is dated 1915 and I’m posting photos that a neighbor to this structure took today.
It’s kind of obvious what’s happening. It’s falling apart and it’s dangerous and it needs to come down. Not everything can be saved, not everything should be saved.
Here’s hoping Chester County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can look beyond their collective navels and assist East Whiteland here .
I would say it was safe to assume that time is of the essence here and people need to pay attention to the fact that this road is closed with good reason. Today, people have a habit of ignoring police barricades and road closed signs.
Yesterday‘s post by me is at the bottom, and this is one of these things that well a local paper used to write about. But who knows what they let our local paper write about most of the time.
Please avoid Ravine Road in East Whiteland and this specifically is why it’s closed. And please don’t start some big thing about “Oh we need to save this structure.” No, we don’t. It’s dangerous. It needs to come down.
So Ravine Road in East Whiteland, which runs between W. King Rd. and Phoenixville Pike has been closed since March 23rd. The reason it’s closed is because of one of the lovely abandoned railroad structures that dot our land landscape in Chester County.
And every time there’s an issue with an underpass, an overpass or a bridge or a tunnel or anything having to do with what the railroad used to be, municipalities have to figure out what to do when there are problems. I do believe this is what East Whiteland is facing right now.
Engineers are assessing this overpass thing that was built in 1915. It periodically gets hit, periodically sheds pieces of crumbling concrete. There’s nothing running above it now as far as a train and ownership of course is always a question. It used to be part of the West Chester Railroad I do not believe that Immaculata owns it and I really don’t believe that East Whiteland owns it. I think it is straight up abandoned, but now because it’s straight up abandoned and falling apart, who takes care of it??
In my humble opinion, this is where the state and county could be of more assistance.
A couple people I know are digging into this for me. I don’t know if they’ll come up with any answers, but in the meantime, an East Whiteland Township road is closed.
This is not on any historic bridge inventory that I can find although technically it probably is because the dates to 1915. But is it anything special? Can we just take the top off of it so East Whiteland stops having structural issues? But if you take the top off of it, you have to cap the sides and deal with making sure water doesn’t undermine it right?
This bridge is a reinforced concrete slab overpass of short length. It has pipe railings. The date of construction is cast into the side of the superstructure. The superstructure rests on concrete abutments. It is part of the old West Chester Railroad, which is long-abandoned in this section, with this bridge being a rare reminder of what used to be. A preservation group still maintains a different section of this line.
On their 10 point scale of historic value, it’s a one as in 1. So most do not consider it much of a historic asset. I personally like this the least of the three underpasses you go through on this road. I’ve taken lots of photos over the years, but mostly I take photos of the ones down near Phoenixville Pike.
Two more underpasses on Ravine, but these are the ones I like closest to Phoenixville Pike
Now many moons ago, Immaculata had a train station on her campus. A few years ago, there was a study to try to recreate it. It’s not happening. I was told that back then by the outgoing general manager of SEPTA before Leslie Richards came in. (Of course, at the time no one believed me. But hello it’s 2025 and it didn’t go anywhere did it? Just more wasted study money.)
This was someone I had known since he had been an engineer fairly high up in septa. He had always been really helpful and responsive to community things. I met him when I had written about the Wayne train station and flooding off of the tracks and a big drainage pipe that had no grate on it- it is so big that kids and dogs could get into etc. He had read what I had written and in the end the Wayne train station in Radnor Township got some much needed stormwater management underneath the parking lot when they redid it. And then a simple yet effective grate was placed over a concrete drainage tube on the Pennsylvania Avenue side, which of course dissuaded dogs and kids.
And before COVID when I asked about a station again at Immaculata he told me that realistically, we weren’t going to see a train station revived at Immaculata because there was one in Malvern and it was already taking long enough to get past Malvern to the stations west of Malvern . Then there was the fact that Immaculata didn’t really want a train station with the public parking on their campus for that, because hello it poses a safety concern, doesn’t it? I thought maybe since they put the money into the study they would look at oh I don’t know putting a train station somewhere over around 3 Tun Rd., but nothing ever happened and then Covid happened.
Now this Ravine Road underpass/railroad bridge or whatever I believe, belongs to exactly no one. And what that means realistically is getting it dealt with is going to be a monumental pain in the ass for East Whiteland. I think it would behoove Chester County and the state to help them out with this.
So until it gets figured out the road is closed. You may not use Ravine Road in East Whiteland.
And as I have said multiple times before, not just in this post, there are structures like this all over our region and they need to be better documented. And I get really tired of the abandoned of it all when there are existing railroads which could help us with the costs of dealing with these things.
And having to do with the April Fool’s at all? There are so many gullible people. Where do you think I’m going?
I read a partially amusing to me article this morning. Mostly local and state elected officials i.e. politicians telling a local reporter their New Year’s resolutions. Some honest and heartfelt and one in particular I found ridiculous and bobbleheadish:
“My New Year’s Resolution is to write more. I think it’s so important to give yourself time to create. For me, writing has always been a way to make sense of the world and what’s happening around me, and I hope that if I give myself that time, I can create something that readers might connect with one day.”
So I have to ask then was her note to me November 10th a work of fiction?
Yeah that was the day this elected official, a politician, contacted me directly to take down a post about election decorum at meetings featuring her latest petite tantrum. Not the first time over her political career is it?
No I am not sharing what she wrote but given the sound byte above, it makes a person wonder doesn’t it?
Look woman, stop trying so hard. We get it, you have higher political aspirations. You tried and backed out of running for State Rep in 2022 right? Latest rumor mill is you want to run for County Commissioner? Be real and do better. You are not there and you need depth. But hey I bet you won’t read this post either right? Just like you did not read the last one that you contacted people I know as well as myself to take down?
And then there was this one:
“My goal for the New Year is to become a more intentional consumer, reduce waste, and find more ways to recycle, reuse and upcycle. I am working to decentralize my household from large corporate interests like Amazon, shop more local, and with companies that treat their workers with dignity and pay living wages and benefits. I’ve been trying to break away from fast fashion culture and love shopping local consignment shops and thrifting. I have been a host for a local CSA, for going on 11 years, and also have found some amazing local flower growers that I love to support.”
Ummmkay. So do you really really think all more localized companies treat their employees well? They don’t. It’s not just Amazon and it is the game of whoever gets the most bucks wins, isn’t it? Define living wages as in how do companies define it and how do employees define it and does it include decent benefits? Be real about this, not sound byte-ish.
As for thrifting and upcycling, etc , a lot of us have been doing this for years. A lot of this is driven by common sense and a desire for things that were better made, better looking and durable.
Supporting CSAs? Always a great idea to know where things come from and are grown. This is another reason why local farmers need more support. As in real farmers.
One way this New Year’s resolution making state elected official and others in Harrisburg could do this is to enact an act of the state constitution in 2025 and comprehensively update the Municipalities Planning Code.
I mean if municipalities themselves are supposed to reexamine and update their comprehensive planning every couple of years don’t you think 56 years is long enough? Or what about our communities? Don’t we deserve not only more open space and less development and more historic preservation, but real protections from pipelines, data warehouses, hydrogen hubs, warehouses everywhere etc?
Listen politicians, don’t just talk the change, be the change. Be the people we actually thought we elected.
Now whenever I write something like this somewhere a politician gets pissy. In 2025 I still fail to see why as I am just one opinion over here. Why do you care when you say you don’t care? Political puzzle for the ages.
Over all, the New Year’s resolution making in this article were very heart felt and earnest and who a lot of these people truly are. They walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk. So I am NOT being a Scrooge on this bus. I am just saying we need more than words from elected officials to read on New Year’s Day. Some keep their word, some shall we say, rearrange them.
The best politicians we have locally, regionally, and even nationally are the ones who don’t forget who they are and the ordinary people who helped them on their journey once they get to office.
And some who are no longer in office need to find a way to retire gracefully, don’t they?
I found an interesting thing on CNN about New Year’s resolutions and their origins.
I have been writing about Melangell Antiques since they opened. They are located at 1133 Pottstown Pike, West Chester, PA 19380 in West Goshen Township.
This business is in an old estate hunting lodge. A rather famous one to local history buffs. Also known as “Wrangley Lodge”, in an amazing century-plus old Arts and Crafts style designed by Charles Barton Keen as part of the original Greystone Estate. This is special to me because one of my very close friends and honorary other mothers is his granddaughter.
And those who know me know I love a good adaptive reuse, and some of my favorite antique stores have been in restored old houses! (You know like another favorite business down in Chadds Ford, Brandywine View Antiques.)
Anyway, I stopped in this past weekend because I knew that the store had some strands of vintage mercury glass garland, which I use on my trees.
Once again, when I walked in the door, I marveled at the sheer beauty of the place. And it’s not just what the business owner sells, it’s the restoration. This place really has been transformed. It’s a beautiful serene space. The building glows inside and out. No not literally, it’s just a feeling you get when you go inside and it’s lovely.
And what I also realized this weekend is they’ve never been honored or commended publicly by West Goshen Township or any of those supervisors there for what they have done. This is an adaptive reuse business that works in a historic asset.
I guess West Goshen doesn’t do historic preservation awards? Do they even celebrate local small businesses or are they only about Target and Chick Fil A? I mean, I like both stores, but they need to celebrate their small businesses too.
I also decided to research the name. Melangell is Welsh and was the name of a Saint. That I already knew, but the rest of the history was fascinating. 
The name Melangell has its origins deeply rooted in Welsh culture and language. In Welsh, mel translates to dear, while angell relates to angel. Combining these elements, the name Melangell signifies DearAngel. This name has a rich and intriguing history, closely tied to the story of Saint Melangell herself.
Saint Melangell was the patron saint of hares and rabbits. She was a Welsh hermit and abbess. She possibly lived in the 7th or 8th century, although the precise dates are uncertain. According to her hagiography, she was originally an Irish princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecrated virgin in the wilderness of the Kingdom of Powys.
According to legend, she was known for her devotion to nature and for providing sanctuary to a hunted hare (rabbit) , thus earning her saintly status. As time passed, the name Melangell became associated with this valiant, compassionate figure, and it found its place in Welsh folklore and traditions. The Shrine Church of Pennant Melangell is reported to be one of the most beautiful little churches in the UK.
Anyway, this store is filled with wonderful treasures if you’re looking for a gift or something for your home or something for the holidays. Art, antiques, and fun. The place is just simply beautiful and I think we can all use a little more beauty in our lives and they definitely have Christmas magic.
The comment I am about to share has sent my teeth on edge and if you don’t want to listen to my rant, get off of this post now:
Chester County Ramblings my current neighborhood is not a dense borough, is not walkable, and has no restaurants/shops/galleries/etc. Regardless, I’m fine with development and don’t object to new neighbors. Not everyone is a NIMBY.
I don’t agree with everything you post but you are definitely “in the know” and I appreciate the updates.
As soon as my kids finish HS, I’ll be moving to a new place and WC Borough is on the list. I hope it has more apartments, nice buildings, restaurants, etc. by that time. It keeps getting better as it gets redeveloped. Maybe it will even have restored train service in a few years but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m curious as to why you choose to live in the suburbs of a major city when you frequently lament growth, development, and change? Wouldn’t some place like Forest County be a better fit? Or do you simply want access to the amenities this region offers by virtue of having the density and wealth of being near a city but not the development and congestion that come along with that? You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
Also this comment:
Y’all hate when someone builds something on an empty lot 😂
And this one:
That was a historic parking lot though! George Washington parked there!
And this one:
Chester County Ramblings I own a home in the borough, drive or walk past these sites multiple times a week, doesn’t bother me one bit. I lived in Chestnut Square when it was first built and it was awesome, brought a lot of young people into the town, everyone was proud to live there and the property was always well taken care of. It brings more people to our local businesses and restaurants, more money into the borough. The only people I see complaining are the ones too high and mighty to live near “renters”. No one will convince me that replacing an empty concrete lot or an abandoned Burger King with a brand new, nice, apartment building is a bad thing.
And this:
All the NIMBY’s know is unhappiness about any sort of growth and change. They are perfectly content with this region stagnating and declining while the rest of the world flourishes and advances. I can see being against a 5-floor apartment complex on a farm in West Nantmeal Township, but on an empty parking lot in a walkable town with amenities?
I’m really tired of having the same conversation over and over and over again.
While some are reveling in their ignorance of what they think are funny comments, they are missing the point and the point is there are too many apartments.
NONE of these developments are even attractive at this point . The development can be along I 95 in Philadelphia or in Chester County and it all looks the same. Cheap looking Lego boxes.
Too many apartments are creating a transient aspect to society out here. It causes issues with other types of real estate. It encourages predatory real estate investors, etc.
It’s just whatever the developer can suck out of the plot of land. If these folks all want to be part of the conversation, they’re welcome to be part of the conversation but if they’re just here to be ignorant, they can F off.
I’m just tired of it. We can’t have intelligent conversations about anything.
People can either constructive and polite even if you are on the other side of the issue, but they are not . Does anyone think these apartments are doing anything in the long run? They aren’t. They cause more kids to be in already bursting at the seams schools and they cause other stresses on infrastructure which is human and otherwise so it’s services like utilities, and then it’s emergency services like fire and police, etc and roads.
So if anyone out there would like dense buildings next to you, give the developers your address I’m sure they can oblige.
We can’t handle everything that’s being built literally. And our municipalities can not afford it. They get the short term high of ratables, but then we’re all on the hook.
There is no pace. There’s no real design. There’s a lack of human scale in most of these developments and issues with setbacks as well. Find open space? Not if they can help it. You know how you get open space in any of these new developments? If they can’t build on all of the land correct?
And then there are the developers that shove these plans down the throats of people in various municipalities and then they just let everything sit there and rot Today we have seen in Berwyn what happens with that. See my post on Berwyn Square.
Yes, communities have to grow and evolve to survive. But the growth shouldn’t always hurt so much and how about plans that are less dense and not so many rentals? That would probably be welcome just like anything other than a cram plan of apartments or townhouses.
What about affordable housing? I mean, basic average houses that people can downsize to who are getting older but raised their families and possibly even grew up themselves in a particular community or area. I’m also talking about what used to be called “starter houses” for people who grew up somewhere and came back to raise their own families and start their adult lives in a particular community. And by affordable housing, I’m also referring to low income housing. The state of the current supply of low income housing in Chester County is deplorable.
These developers aren’t building for a sense of community. They’re building for a sense of their own bank accounts. This is why you saw two municipalities this past election put an open space referendum on the ballot – East Whiteland and Uwchlan. Both referendums passed.
We don’t live in Chester county because it’s just some random suburb, we live here because we love the history of our county and we don’t want to become what Montgomery County and Delaware County have become and we’re pretty much there. It’s becoming too much development, overcrowded schools and an urban feel which is not what most of us signed up for. Bucks County too. Basically pick a county.
The Municipalities Planning Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is something I have written about so many times before I’ve lost count. This is the state level zoning bible, the guides all municipal zoning throughout the state. This weighty tome came into being when the definition of suburb and exurb was very different than today. this thing has not been comprehensively updated since around 1969. We’re at 2024. That’s 55 years.
Supposedly there was a big update in 2022, but I don’t remember anyone in Harrisburg enacting an act of the state constitution to do it?
What changed in 2022? Things most people didn’t even realize happened:
Amended Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to establish the Municipal Boundary Change Act. This act also defined changes to real property that don’t require the assessment office to adjust an assessment
Amended Section 509 of the MPC to clarify the amount of financial security that municipalities should retain to cover the cost of remaining improvements on a subdivision or land development. This amendment took effect in February 2022
What we’re looking for in our communities among other things is more open space preservation, historic preservation that actually has teeth, and meaning, means to slow down the pace of development and have better control in our communities over the types of development we’re seeing. we want to be able to say we need to pause dense development and we want tools that our municipalities can legally have to help us preserve the feeling of where we call home.
It feels like every square inch of where we live is getting developed doesn’t it and as soon as you say, I really wish there wasn’t so much development you’re called NIMBY.
That’s bullshit. And the reality is the pace of development currently is not sustainable long-term and the stuff being built it doesn’t have staying power. The finishes and building style is just put it up as fast as you can. It doesn’t last. What is being built is not inexpensive and it looks cheap.
Parcels of land are built out to every inch possible. If any thing is retained as “open space” half of the time it’s not billable so you think a developers being magnanimous, but they really aren’t.
And then with all this development, especially in places like West Chester Borough you have people that’ll say “but we need workability and then maybe we’ll get the train back .”
Do you have two dollars? I can give you a piece of my bridge. I don’t really own a bridge. It’s a turn of phrase. All I’m saying is people are so gullible that they want to believe just about anything, but it doesn’t mean anything is based in reality.
And people always want to just say I’m NIMBY and I hate all development. There have been developments in the past I’ve actually liked. but those plans are few and far between or in some cases never actually happened because they were too good to be true.
Plans for development need to fit the communities in which they are going to be located. which of course is why I am worried about what is planned for the Weston tract in West Whiteland of W. King Rd. It’s why I am also concerned about whatever warehouses are being planned for the corner of Phoenixville Pike and W. King Rd. in West Whiteland.
Another thing I’m concerned about is whatever will happen with that random 15 acres that are partially in East Goshen and West Whiteland that were part of Schiffer Farm that the West Chester University Foundation is selling to a developer which backs up to a sweet older neighborhood on Old Phoenixville Pike.
And things like Lionville Station Farm are still in play aren’t they? And what is it about Downingtown Area School District that you don’t really know what’s going on with what the latest buyer is actually going to do?
And then you go past what used to be Happy Days Farm. The scale and just size of those warehouses is insane and no more farm.
If you want to see what negative impacts are occurring with all of this development try to drive through Ardmore or Wayne. Look at all the apartments in Tredyffrin, including along 202.
All of the development is overly dense and it’s about maximizing developer profit. It has nothing to do with community. It has nothing to do with any of us who were here first.
Again, all of this development is not sustainable. All of the rentals don’t foster a sense of community but they do create a more transient society. But go ahead, call me NIMBY if it makes you feel better. It’s not the truth.
