Ninety acres of Amish farmland converted to a massive shopping center; 370,000 square feet of retail stores; more than 8 acres under roof; parking for more than 2,000 cars; 25,000 gallons of sewage per day. Drumore residents got their first look at Drumore Crossing Wednesday night, a proposed shopping center on the west side of Route 272 just south of the Buck intersection. Developer Wolfson Verrichia Group Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, which has developed numerous Wal-Marts in the region, sent a team of five consultants, an attorney and owner Steve Wolfson to Wednesday's meeting of Drumore's planning commission. Concerned residents jammed the township's small meeting room to view drawings and hear explanations of traffic, water, sewage and fire plans. Wolfson assured the audience and the board, "We are not absentee landlords. The properties we own, we manage, we lease, we keep clean and we're there seven days a week." He said his company is committed to corporate sponsorship in the communities surrounding his stores. He said he is aware that the south end of Lancaster County is served by volunteer fire companies, "folks like myself who want to give of their time." Traffic engineer Christopher Williams said his company, McMahon Associates, has analyzed eight nearby intersections identified by township officials as areas of concern. There were gasps in the room when Williams said seven of the eight -- even the intersection of Routes 272 and 372 -- presently give "acceptable levels of service." Williams laid out several traffic scenarios, one of which took into account a state Department of Transportation proposal that would relocate the intersections of Routes 272 and 372 farther south, with a looping bypass that would cross the northeast corner of the shopping center site. Attorney Marc B. Kaplin, who is representing Wal-Mart in its effort to build a store in Manor Township, stressed that PennDOT has not committed to that plan. Plans show new signals there, at the Route 272 entrance to the shopping center, and on Friendly Drive where it intersects Routes 272 and 372. Engineer Brian Zappala said water for the site could come from a 400-foot deep well on the north side of the property. He said a test well has provided 50 gallons per minute, more than enough to operate the site. Zappala said the water system would require a storage tank 40 feet in diameter and 15 feet high. The large retail spaces would have sprinkler systems throughout, the restaurants only in the kitchens. Hydrogeologist William Palkovics briefly explained how a subsurface drip irrigation system would dispose of treated effluent from an onsite sewage treatment plant. He said the "high-efficiency" system features "low application rates" and should easily dispose of the 20,000 to 25,000 gallons of sewage expected to be generated by the retail space, plus a bank and three restaurants on outlying sites near the entrance. Vice Chairman Scott Stauffer quizzed Wolfson and Kaplin at length on a possible Wawa convenience store and gas station at the same site. Wolfson confirmed that Wawa is "an equitable partner" with the right to purchase up to 5 acres, but the firm has not committed to going forward with a store. Kaplin told Stauffer it was "not right for you to insist that we make provisions for (Wawa)." Stauffer responded, "I'm going to disagree with you on that." Board member Chris Gibson asked how Wolfson chose Drumore, and Wolfson pointed out that the township's comprehensive plan identifies the Buck area as a commercial growth zone and that the farm is zoned commercial/industrial. Wolfson added that with the nearest large retail center 9 miles north at Willow Street, no such "hub" to the south or west, and only Quarryville to the east, "I saw a need in the community. People can be shopping here, not leaving the area." Outside, residents who had heard enough, and who sensed no such need, gathered to vent. Several drifted out early on when Stauffer announced the evening was dedicated to "a dialogue between the board and the developer.... We will not take comments" from the audience. Ron Cariello identified himself as a member of a loose-knit citizens' group calling itself "The 196 Group." "There are 195 Wal-Mart stores that weren't allowed in the U.S. because people fought them," Cariello said. "We're hoping to be the 196th." Cariello said he lives within 800 feet of the proposed site, and his well has gone dry already. He expressed concerns about crime, loss of wildlife, excessive light and possible pollution to the nearby headwaters of Fishing Creek. He was armed with clippings and Internet printouts documenting problems plaguing areas near Wal-Mart stores. One quoted District Justice Ronald W. Savage on the "astronomical" number of retail thefts at the Lincoln Highway store. Trish Spath said she has only recently completed construction of a log cabin two blocks away. "If this goes through, our property value's going to be nonexistent," she said. Echoing Cariello's concerns about lighting, Spath said, "We won't ever see the stars again." "I wish they'd take all their charts and diagrams and get out," Cariello said. "They're ruining a small-town way of life." |