By Bajeerah Lowe, Staff Writer
September 28,
2003
SADSBURY
-- What’s a township to do when a group of developers wants to make public
improvements to the village district and residents don’t want them? In the case
of Sadsburyville, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
At least
that’s what a group of five developers in Sadsbury said it is willing to do
after residents turned out at a public meeting Tuesday to oppose proposed
enhancements including the installation of sidewalks along either side of
Business Route 30.
The meeting, slated to include a review of one of the developer’s housing
proposals and a review of village improvements, brought out residents largely
living along the Route 30 corridor, who expressed their displeasure with the
plans.
"I do not want to open my front door and shake hands with someone walking up to
Harry’s," said one resident who said she lives right on Business Route 30.
Another said the sidewalks will only encourage loitering in front of his home.
Joe Morris, another resident of the busy thoroughfare, said the sidewalks will
ruin the historic nature of the village and only cause problems to the
homeowners.
In addition to cleaning the sidewalks in inclement weather, Morris said the
improvements will "impose a huge financial hardship."
While Morris started the circulation of a petition among residents protesting
the proposals, the lead developer said he is open to discussion.
"We’re not stuck on that proposal," said W. Joseph Duckworth, president of
Arcadia Land Co., in response to the public comments. "..We’re not going to do
anything the residents don’t feel is a good idea."
Duckworth, who is acting as lead developer for the improvements, is proposing a
458-unit residential development.
The current zoning for the land Arcadia is proposing to develop is industrial
and R-2 which would allow for a maximum of 252 apartments and 900,000 square
feet of industrial buildings. Arcadia is proposing a zoning change to make all
the property that is on the west side of Old Wilmington Road and south of
Business Route 30 residential in order to construct a traditional neighborhood
development.
Keeping with that idea, Arcadia proposed walking trails leading to the village
and the installation of sidewalks along Business Route 30 and other traffic
calming measures such as a center island on Business Route 30 and on street
parking. The installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Old
Wilmington Road and Business Route 30, also included in the proposal, has
already been installed.
While township approvals for several of the developments, including Arcadia, and
PennDOT approvals for many of the improvements are still needed, Duckworth said
the discussion period with residents is far from over. A meeting has been
scheduled for Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in the township building for discussion on
alternative improvements.
Township resident Tammy Pawling said while she would love for the industrial
zoning to remain, if the Arcadia’s residential development is approved she would
rather see improvements made for existing residents. "There are so many
residents who are in dire need of sewer, why don’t they provide that?" she said.
Morris said there were no improvements to the historic village district he would
like to see made. "I want the historic nature remain," he said. "There should be
a separation between the old and the new."
And Robert Silvernail, a member of the township’s zoning hearing board, said he
believed the discussion wasn’t even necessary. "We’re putting the cart before
the horse," he said. "The zoning has to be changed before any of this can
happen."
İDaily Local
News 2003
