W. Vincent plan in compliance

David Bernard , Staff Writer 08/12/2003

WEST VINCENT -- A proposal to build an apartment complex in Ludwig’s Corner is in compliance with West Vincent’s zoning ordinances, according to a preliminary opinion from the township’s zoning officer. The preliminary opinion, issued July 30 by Robert Wideman, also the township’s manager, found 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. Specifically, Wideman noted that the apartments were a permitted use on the residentially zoned tract, met design regulations and followed open space requirements. The preliminary opinion is not a formal or final approval by the township’s board of supervisors. "The municipal planning code has a provision that allows an applicant to request a formal opinion," Wideman said. "They requested that opinion, and I provided one." Local opponents to the developer’s plan, however, saw the document as an attempt to move ahead with a project that has sparked controversy in the largely rural township. "The issuance of this preliminary opinion is just another example of the West Vincent Township supervisors’ contempt for the legal process," said resident Jason Phillips, who argued that the opinion was an example of the board’s avoiding opponents’ legal challenges and residents’ involvement. "It is truly a shame that the West Vincent Township supervisors care more about a developer’s profits than in fulfilling their oaths to protect the health, safety and welfare of township residents," he said. Another resident who opposes the plan, Bob Frye, didn’t see such manipulation, but added that the preliminary opinion was not a final green light for the proposal. "This particular step is fine," he said. "It doesn’t give (the developers) the authority to build, to do anything. It just says their plans are compliant with the ordinances as they exist, and which we have challenged the validity of." A group of residents have filed legal challenges to the 1998 and 2003 zoning ordinances. The cases have yet to be decided. The apartment proposal at issue 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. The proposal, brought before West Vincent officials by Villanova developer David Della Porta, would be the Route 100 corridor’s largest housing complex between Eagle and Pottstown. The plan raised concerns among residents that it, and future developments that might follow it, would damage the township’s rural character. Township officials replied that 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. In March, the township planning commission approved a revised zoning ordinance that allowed the construction of the apartment complex under a new amendment. The commission said it was legally required to accommodate such a land use.

©Daily Local News 2003