Settlement reached in Drexeline redevelopment project
MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> A civil appeal that halted a
$100 million-plus renovation of the Drexeline Shopping Center in Drexel Hill will require a modification of the developer’s plans as agreed to in an order signed off earlier this month by all interested parties and approved by the county court.
A stipulation that was agreed to between appellants Janice Haman and Bonnie Hallam with the Upper Darby Township Zoning Hearing Board, Upper Darby Township and developer MCBH Drexeline Plaza LP that would require the latter to repurpose the
17.5-acre site with no more than 75 impervious coverage of the property for the proposed mixed-use development called Drexeline Town Center. The original plan as approved in June by the board had an impervious coverage area of 80 percent which is lower than the existing 91.8 percent.
Haman and Hallam, both residents who live near the shopping center, filed suit in July with the Delaware County Common Pleas Court appealing the zoning hearing board’s approval of the project because the plan did not meet the zoning requirement of a maximum 70 percent impervious coverage area. The filing petition with the court said the board “abused its discretion and/or committed errors of law” for bypassing the impervious coverage requirement and allowing variance to the water buffer requirement from 50 to zero feet along the Darby Creek.
Impervious coverage areas and buffer zones are noted environmental concerns with development projects as they pertain to stormwater management and flooding. Impervious areas do not allow water to be absorbed into the ground.
As part of the stipulation — signed by the attorneys of the parties on Nov. 6 — MCBH was agreed to install a community garden to the site that will measure 70 feet by 20 feet. It has also agreed to use pervious materials to construct a walking path along the Darby Creek, use energy-efficient windows in the buildings and paints and stains with low-volatile organic compounds.
MCBH Drexeline Plaza principal David Bramble said Monday that he was really happy to be moving forward with the project and the he will be able to amend the plans to reduce the impervious coverage area.
“We want to move this along as fast as we can,” he said about ending the fourmonth disruption to the site re-development. “This is a super important project, not just from our perspective, but from a community development perspective.”
He gave credit to Mayor Tom Micozzie for using his “convening power to get it resolved” and “get everyone comfortable.”
Micozzie helped coordinate conversation among the parties without court interference since the appeal process started in the summer.
“I am pleased that all parties were able to come together, work through these issues, and reach a compromise that allows this project to move forward and make much-needed improvements to the current shopping center,” said Micozzie in a prepared statement.
When reached for further comment Monday, Micozzie said it was his job as mayor to get everyone together to sort it out. He was afraid that progressing further in the courts would have made MCBH pullout of the project.
Without this redevelopment the township would lose 250 permanent jobs, and approximately
$445,000 in annual township and Upper Darby School District property tax revenues.
Bramble’s development project will significantly rehab the 1950s-era shopping center by tearing down the number of old structures there and making a mixed-use area that will retain current tenants like ShopRite, Crozer-Keystone Medical Center and Anthony’s Ristorante while building up a 140-unit apartment building, an office building and a 120unit storage unit.
A Wawa convenience store with gas pump is also slated for the property.
Bramble said he wasn’t happy about the appeal when it was initially filed, but now he’s just looking forward on the project.
“We’re not looking backward,” he said. “We’re glad that we were able to come to a conclusion with help with the mayor’s office to push this thing forward. A project like this has a lot of moving pieces and you always run into issues and problems. Our job is to work through those issues.”
The next official step to project fruition is submission of land-development plans that will incorporate the stipulation points. That development application may not be appealed by Hanam and Hallam so long as that application is consistent with the zoning plan as amended.
Hanam and Hallam could not be reached via email Monday.