Property owner looks for support for completion of road and age-restricted multi-family development
CHADDS FORD » Could a senior housing development help reduce congestion around the heavily traveled Routes 1 and 202 interchange? A Chadds Ford property owner believes it can, and he is looking for support as he hopes to build support for the project.
For the past 7 years, Brian Coyle, CEO of the Henderson Group, a large, long time property owner in the township has been involved in a public private partnership called the Chadds Ford Gateway in Concord and Chadds Ford Township to create a loop road reducing the traffic load on that intersection.
In recent years most sections of the loop road have been completed however one section, Hillman Drive in the southwest quadrant is incomplete.
That section which encompasses Henderson Group property has received PennDOT support and $2 million in state funding however to make it financially viable Coyle want to build the age restricted multi-family development, Greene Station at Painters Crossing in an area not zoned for that development.
In a December interview Coyle discussed his companies’ plans.
“We’re trying to open up to the community some feedback on the plan. We’re really excited about the agerestricted multi-family development as a way to get the loop road project finally completed after so many years,” Coyle said. “We think it brings a lot of win-win out to the community based on things we’ve heard.”
Coyle noted that an age restricted development doesn’t put a burden on schools and would bring less traffic to that intersection than what it is presently zoned for in the planned business center zoning of office and retail use.
He also noted the development would keep more green space as the office building requires large parking lots.
Coyle said there are multiple components to the project that would help safety and congestion; they include a roundabout built on Hillman Drive that was built in 2017 and paid for by Henderson Group.
Other improvements would include rerouting the back drive from Painters Crossing to Hillman Drive as well as expanded turning lanes on Route 1 itself to help the flow of traffic.
Henderson Group has created an informational website showing the planshttps://chaddsfordgateway. com/
Coyle said to get the loop road project complete it will cost $7 million and with the help of State Rep. Craig Williams and State Senator John Kane they’ve obtained multi-modal grant funding of $2 million.
“As a private developer what we really need to make the additional $5 million capital fund outlay is a project to absorb the cost,” Coyle said. “We started thinking about what types of thing we could do on this 20-acre piece of ground to absorb the cost of this infrastructure project.”
Coyle said when Covid struck his company took a step back to think what beyond the current zoning would be a plus for the community. He said the comprehensive plan calls for this area to be more intensively developed with either retail or offices which he said would create more traffic at the intersection.
Coyle said the age restricted development would be a maximum of 12 units per acre and there is a large demand for a 55 plus active lifestyle development which he noted isn’t a nursing home or assisted living facility.
His company conducted a number of studies which found the development would bring less traffic, higher tax returns to the Township and better stormwater management than the existing zoning allows.
Coyle said in 2022 his company presented a text amendment to the Chadds Ford Township Planning commission. That amendment would amend the existing planned business center zoning, adding age restricted multi-family development as a permitted use as well as some development regulations around that use.
The Planning commission did not recommend the amendment to the board of supervisors who have the final approval.
Officials in Chadds Ford Township released this statement in response to the Henderson Group plans.
“The Henderson Group is seeking a zoning change that is inconsistent with our Comprehensive Plan to allow for dense residential development. The land in question is environmentally sensitive and there were concerns raised by the Township Planning Commission and professionals about the proposed density of the project, its impact on the environment, pedestrian connectivity, and the soundness of the design. Perhaps a new plan will be forthcoming in the future for the Township to consider.”
This happens as the Township Planning Commission holds a public review of their draft Zoning Ordinance. There will be a public meeting Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. That revision has been in the works for a number of years and is now being made available for public comment prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting.
The proposed zoning map for Chadds Ford Township is viewable on the Township website- https:// chaddsfordpa.gov/