Drexeline opponents getting bum rap
To the Times:
The Upper Darby residents who appealed the zoning variances granted by the Zoning Hearing Board have been vilified by some members of our community. Their action has been characterized as an attempt to stop the project all together. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They object to variances that will impact the Darby Creek watershed and floodplain.
The approved variances would allow the developer to reduce the amount of impervious surface from the current 91.9 percent to 80 percent. However, code requires 70 percent. I assume this overall reduction is necessary to accommodate the aggregate effect of several other variances granted which reduce the amount of landscaping and side yard setback requirements around the entire property. This is all, as my grandmother would say, to try to cram 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack.
Compounding the problem, the developer also was granted a variance from the required 50foot Buffer Zone from Darby Creek to 0 feet. They promise storm water management in the underground garage for the new Shop Rite/medical office building, which is a little improvement over what exists today but not nearly enough.
There are ways that the developer could keep the desired footprint but mitigate potential flooding and runoff of contaminated water into the creek. For instance, there are federal loans and grants available for the installation of green roofs. The new trail along the creek could be constructed using previous materials (some of which actually filter storm water runoff before discharging it back into the creek). Investment in flood mitigation now results in less tax money spent remediating flood damage along the Creek’s floodplain in the future.
The community welcomes the redevelopment of the shopping center. However, we want to see it done sustainably and with concern for the Darby Creek watershed. As the Darby Creek Valley Association said in their response to the request for the variance from the buffer zone: “Darby Creek should be given the respect it deserves and treated as an amenity and not an inconvenient natural resource with no intrinsic value.”
Peggy Bradin Wilson, Upper Darby