W. Vincent postpones vote on planned complex

Jason Kotowski , Staff Writer 03/24/2004

WEST VINCENT -- The board of supervisors postponed voting on the final plan of the Della Porta apartment complex in Ludwig’s Corner to April 12. Supervisors Kenneth Miller Jr. and Clare Quinn reviewed correspondence regarding Cornerstone Communities Inc.’s plans, including a letter from attorney Dwight Yoder written on behalf of citizens opposed to the apartment complex. Some residents have expressed concern that the buildings, and future developments that might follow, would damage the township’s rural character. Jason Keith Phillips, a West Vincent resident and president of Residents for Smart Development, has opposed the plan from the beginning, and said he will fight against it to the end. The proposed plan, brought before West Vincent officials by Villanova developer David Della Porta, would place 216 housing units in eight buildings on the 120-acre Griffith Tract of farmland behind the Ludwig’s Corner Fire Company on Route 100 near Nantmeal Road. It would be the Route 100 corridor’s largest housing complex between Eagle and Pottstown "I can’t figure out why the supervisors would give approval for this plan when it doesn’t meet township regulations," Phillips said. "Residents for Smart Development has had a longstanding disagreement with the supervisors on this issue." Phillips contends that the plan does not satisfy the zoning ordinance requirement for the Steep Slope Conservation District. Multifamily dwellings are not permitted within this conservation district on either precautionary or prohibitive slopes, he said. "The supervisors exceeded their discretion by permitting Cornerstone’s plans to vary from the provisions of the zoning ordinance," Phillips said. During Monday’s meeting, engineer Craig A. Kologie said most of the outstanding issues concerning the apartment complex have been taken care of, with the exception of the sewage facilities plan, which they expect will be resolved soon. Township officials have said the apartment complex is low-density, compared to an earlier plan. The apartments will occupy 18 acres and leave the rest open, as opposed to houses filling the entire 120 acres. Township Manager Robert Wideman issued a preliminary opinion on July 30, stating that Cornerstone Communities Inc.’s plan met standards established by West Vincent’s amended zoning ordinance of 1998 and its revised zoning ordinance of 2003, approved in March. The township planning commission has said it was legally required to approve the revised zoning ordinance to allow the construction of the apartment complex under a new amendment. A group of residents have filed legal challenges to the 1998 and 2003 zoning ordinances. The cases have yet to be decided. Della Porta has said he hopes to begin construction on the $25 million apartment complex in late spring or early summer. Construction should take about two years, he said.

Reader Opinions

Name: Melissa Bertolami	Date: Mar, 26 2004
It is an absolute disgrace to construct something so out of character with our graceful environment. This complex will endanger and forever change the exceptional value Birch Run which runs along side the proposed development. It is also quite curious that West Vincent township must continually grant waivers to the developer of the apartments because he can not meet the new zoning requirements. Ironic, because this zoning ordinance was made specifically for and written by HIM. Just so he could build these highrises. Supposedly, the new ordinance was passed so that he would have to provide an "unheard of" 85% open space. But, Della Porta CAN NOT meet that requirement (he mistakenly included his sewage lagoon in his open space calculation) So, now the supervisors have waived the 85% and now he is down to around 73%. The list goes on... One should wonder why a developer is allowed to deviate so drastically from the townships master plan and its overall rural character - his footprint will be devastating. The true "unheard of" part to this controversy is the voice of the citizens.
Name: Larry Dinnell	Date: Mar, 25 2004
This kind of high density is a disgrace for this beautiful area, just as it is right down the street in Upper Uwchlan. What is the motivation of the West Vincent Supervisors for ruining our neighborhood? If these apartments are built against our wishes, then they must also be built in their treasured Birchrunville.
Name: Linda Rava	Date: Mar, 24 2004
While I commend the Daily Local News for putting such an important community issue on it's front page, there is so much more wrong with the proposed apartment complex in West Vincent than your mention of it's ruining the "rural character" of the area. First and foremost, there is an exceptional value stream located on the property (but conveniently not on the plans of the developer) that provides drinking water to local residents that will surely be contaminated by the runoff of this complex should it happen; then there's the shady dealings of how an apartment complex came to be on a zoned residential site; or maybe, that the site doesn't even offer the required amount of open space, that, dare I mention, our local government fiercely lobbied for during the last election, won the approval of residents overwhelmingly, and now, turns it's head the other way when the developer can't meet the open space requirements, or, that the developer doesn't even have DEP approval. As you can see, it's not just about the integrity of the property's rural character, it's about the integrity of local government, it's about the integrity of developers who plow into our neighborhoods and it's about the integrity of the residents who ask for little more than a decent quality of life while we try to raise healthy families in West Vincent!