I am reading with some amusement the article about the guy who lives in Unionville  with the construction company near West Chester who thinks civil rights are being violated because Concord Township (in Delaware County) is saying no thanks right now to his idea of a teen mecca.  The last one was Pulsations in Glen Mills wasn’t it? So…. you can’t blame people for not wanting to repeat that or having reservations, can you?

I always giggle as soon as someone says about what they will be proposing that it will be “classy”.  It makes you wonder if they would know from classy if it bit them in the ass. But I suppose “classy” is in the eye of the beholder?

Check out this reference to “klass” in urban dictionary:

I have to ask is this what people want around there near Routes 1 and 322?  Now this guy then says he has 8 kids with nothing to do on the weekends?  Ok, so do they move around in a pack and say they’re “bored” all weekend?

This guy is trying to do this under the auspices of a 501c7 non-profit – which is a private club status.  Makes you wonder how much this would cost hard working parents per kid in this economy too, doesn’t it?

I  found the article amusing on many levels including this guy just seems floored that someone said “no” to him – and it comes through so strongly in the article.

And truthfully, did this township say “no” as in final “no”, or did they say take it to zoning? I read it as they said get a zoning variance if you want it so bad.  But this guy has his skirts in a bunch and instead of going to zoning is going to sue this township?   Does he sue everyone who says “no” to him?  Is it cheaper to sue this township versus going to zoning?

Is this what people want?  Do people in Chester County and elsewhere want their kids driving all over hill and dale to go to a place like this?  I am not a teen, I don’t have a teen, so I don’t know what teenagers do today.

I do know that when I was a teen, something like this would have held little interest for me, and I also would be willing to bet if I had and something like this had existed, my parents would have said “no”.   Is this like Gymboree of Chuck E. Cheese for teenagers, I wonder?

Is this something kids in the area want? I think the place sounds way too cavernous in size, and I have to ask, what is “classy” about arcade games?   Is there an example of one of these any place else around? What’s next? A BYOB hookah bar with after hours hours?  There is one of those in Bryn Mawr.  Nothing classy about that.  This seems to be cut from the same thought cloth.

To me this has less to do about kids at the end of the day, but  a way for a guy to make a buck because the industry he is part of is so tumultuous due to the economy.

Township blocks out social club

Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012

By FRAN MAYE fmaye@journalregister.com

A Unionville man is threatening to sue Concord Township for discrimination in federal court if the township doesn’t allow him to start up a social club for the 21-and-under set near routes 1 and 322.
Tom Pancoast, who owns a construction company in the West Chester area, wants to invest millions into a long-vacant furniture store — Ethan Allen — and turn it into a social club for minors featuring dancing, live music, billiards, indoor volleyball, basketball, scores of arcade machines and much more. There will even be a restaurant inside….Pancoast has received state approval for forming a 501c7 nonprofit organization that will be members only. Pancoast claims he has a “use by right” because he is forming a social club under rules set forth by the township ordinance, but township officials say an under-21 club does not fit the definition of a social club….The facility would generate a huge windfall for Concord Township through its amusement tax. Pancoast said he can’t understand why the township would reject his plan and turn away the revenue that will be generated.
“We’re going to employ 50 people,” he said. “We’re going to be hiring local veterans for security. I’m going to invest a couple of million dollars in construction and Concord Township will make money with us being here. If they fight us, they will waste taxpayer money.”……he feels township officials may have a misconception that the social club will be another Pulsations, which debuted in Glen Mills in 1983, but closed in 1994 after experiencing financial troubles with the new owners introducing exotic female dancers

Pancoast is hoping to attract thousands of teenagers drawing them in from Oxford, Chi-Chester, Downingtown, Springfield and Media. “I have eight kids and they have nothing to do on the weekend,” Pancoast said. “This will be a classy place — someplace kids can go without hanging out at the malls or crowding in cars and driving around. It’ll keep them out of trouble. This is going to be great. You would think with the way the economy is today, the township would be a little more job friendly.”

This guy who wants his teen club was last in the Daily Local ironically exactly a year ago on January 15, 2011 when he talked about his new solar panel business:

With the launch of Simply Solar, Tom and Susan Pancoast have joined the growing number of solar panel installers in Pennsylvania.
Motivated by federal and state renewable energy incentives, homeowners and businesses alike are looking to the sun to generate power and reduce electric bills. As a result, the creation of new green companies and new green jobs is booming in Pennsylvania…..For Tom Pancoast, the owner of Pancoast Construction, the time was right for several reasons to shift the construction business to solar panel installation.
“The building business is not all that good right now,” said Pancoast, who invested time and money to attend classes to get certified.

Again, in my humble opinion, this is the story of a guy trying to adapt in a tough economy, which I can’t blame him for.  But you have to wonder if last year was solar panels and this year is a teen club, what will January 15 2013 bring?

However, the most important thing is how residents, kids, and parents feel about this.  So this should be an interesting story to follow.