Radnor commissioners approve Penn Medicine plan
RADNOR » Although Ward 2 Commissioner Richard Booker argued against approval Monday night, the Radnor Board of Commissioners voted 5-1, with interim Commissioner Matt Marshall abstaining, to approve the final plan for Penn Medicine at 145 King of Prussia Road.
The 19-acre property that was formerly Wyeth Laboratories has been vacant for several years, and the community had fought plans from a previous owner, BioMed Realty Trust, over concerns about increased traffic. Penn Medicine bought the property for $35 million in 2015.
The plans call for two parking garages at the rear toward I-476 (the Blue Route), an ambulatory care center to the south and an office building and a hotel on the northern side of the property, which is across from Radnor High School. Another developer will build the hotel, office and the second garage.
Dave Falcone, the lawyer for Penn Medicine, said Monday that they have letters from the township’s engineering consultants that the development plan is in line with township ordinances.
Booker, who has fought the project doggedly, raised the issue of whether Penn had complied with the township’s requirements for steep slopes, asking Solicitor John Rice and Kevin Kochanski, the zoning officer, to weigh in.
Kochanski said that he had issued a zoning determination on Oct. 4, 2017.
“In that determination, I went back and looked at the approved development plans from 2008, and on those plans, there is a note that references steep slopes being manmade on [the] entire site and not subject to the code because they were excluded,” he said.
“The plans were approved, and that carries forward to the site as whole,” he said.
Booker continued to make the argument that Kochanski was wrong in his determination and the approval was for a different owner and did not apply to Penn. He said Penn Medicine should go before the zoning hearing board for a waiver.
However, Rice agreed with Kochanski.
“You’ve got zoning officers,” Rice said. “You’ve got your engineers who all approved this plan. So I don’t think there is an issue here with noncompliance with the code.
“I’m relying on Kevin’s opinion and the notes on the plan,” Rice said.
As Booker continued to argue his point, board President Lisa Borowski gaveled for silence.
During public comment, resident Kelly Martin pointed out that last week, Rice said that commissioners “can speak whenever they want” and Borowski agreed. Tonight, “you gaveled Commissioner Booker when he asked to follow up on something.”
Resident Daniel Sherry Jr. concurred with Martin, saying, “Gaveling is inappropriate.”
He said that commissioners should not continue their discussion after public comment is over and asked Borowski to be consistent in how she runs the meetings.
Baron Gemmer, another resident, said that he disagreed with Kochanski’s opinion. He said that a letter from 2009 that Kochanski cited was an error, and Gemmer discussed a 2007 court ruling regarding another property in South Wayne. A judge found that the township ordinance does not say that manmade steep slopes can be disturbed in construction, he said.
Booker then made a motion to table the Penn plan but did not find support from the other commissioners.
Falcone said that the case Gemmer cited did not apply.
“This is a totally separate plan for a totally separate property,” said Falcone. “There is no precedent in zoning law. Each property is unique.”
“There’s no evidence that’s presented for argument of steep slopes or anything else,” said Township Manager Robert Zienkowski. “There’s evidence that shows there is not. It was looked at. So for us to spend additional money, which I call chasing ghosts … I haven’t heard anything that says they [steep slopes] are there.”
Booker interrupted, saying, “It’s in the plan.”
“To spend additional dollars to go through this again … It’s not there,” said Zienkowski.
Booker said that he was following the rules of the township code.
Later, Kevin Mahoney, Penn Medicine’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer, said, “We are excited to have the opportunity to move ahead with implementation of our plans for Penn Medicine to bring a new worldclass health care facility to Radnor Township. We have committed to finding ways to help mitigate traffic issues as part of our development of this project and collaboration with the Radnor community and its leaders. Demolition of the existing buildings on the site is underway, and we expect construction to begin in late summer, with occupancy of the new building to begin in spring of 2020.”