Ever wonder what happened to the condo planned for School Lane at Louella Avenue in Wayne ?

In September of 2007, builders applied to demolish the existing garages and office that many folks remember as Riley Tree Surgery's headquarters, at the corner of Lancaster Pike, Louella Avenue, and School Lane, across from the athletic field, and next to the parking and stairs leading up to the shopping district's east end. The new application added a ninth condominium, changed the residences from townhouses to flats, and added additional garages.

Despite the numerous changes, the application was treated as an amendment rather than a new submission, and was approved by the Board of Commissioners, without approval by the Planning Commission, the Design Review Board, nor the Delaware County Planning Commission.

Citizens and business owners object to the plan because the township has not addressed overwhelming flaws like increased danger to drivers, danger to students and other pedestrians, substantial parking reduction, pronounced obstruction of the pedestrian pathway by jutting 6 feet past the current footprint, excess height and unsightliness of the building, obstruction and marring of the townscape, failure to include a retail location, and potential for routine danger, blockage and gridlock of both the School Lane, and the Lancaster Avenue, intersections. Next time the reader is in Wayne, driving towards downtown from the Blue Route, get a glimpse towards the Middle School at the light at Louella, and imagine that serene view imposed with a large outsized condo, architecturally abominable, and blocking all turn's views despite it's having multiple garages snug up on School Lane.

The planned structure fails to maintain the historic nature of the block, and the business district, despite the enormous effort given to preservation as seen in amendments to the municipal code and the Wayne master plans. Also complained of is the failure to use the opportunity to create a unified plan for shade tree plantings for the entire Louella Avenue/Lancaster Avenue intersection. Another objection is the untried nature of the new Wayne business district zoning provisions, which carry with them a great need for a careful implementation. The Board of Commissioner's approval stands to set precedent for future plans because it is the first such approval under the new provisions. The express track given the amended proposal, along with the plan's impracticability, cause a prevailing perception, by the public and the private sectors, of a pronounced overweighting in favor of the applicant. The approval, which occurred after only 55 days, comes at the expense of comfort, freedom, and safety, of residents and shoppers.

In January of 2008, I appealed the approval of the Louella plan, for the
above reasons, and because:

- The proposal did not attain required review by the Zoning Hearing Board, or received insufficient scrutiny as to code compliance,

- The Township Commissions stopped publishing minutes of their meetings on the internet and posted agendas on the eve of the meetings rather than days or weeks ahead, up to present,

- The proposal fails to provide for safety regarding delivery truck passage on School Lane, nor for uninterrupted access to rescue and fire vehicles, yet it is the service alley for 21 or more businesses.

- The application process did not conform to the Sunshine Law,

- The approval contains directives regarding architecrtural design and dimensions which are insufficient and are unenforcable,

- Considerable core issues are present regarding the new Radnor zoning and land development overlays including: a narrow setback on Louella Avenue perceivable as special interest zoning, lack of sufficient directive for architectural offsets, allowing the building's monolith shape; lack of an intersectional buffer zone where no garage should be located; failure to rescind outmoded permissions for vehicles to back out on to a local street; omission of certain requirements for retail space on the first floor, again perceivable as invalid spot zoning, and inappropriate allowance for the new height limit of 42 feet, on smaller streets and on streets bordering parks, schoolyards, and neighborhoods.

The proposal also sets a precedent for further elimination of retail space, which is opposite to the master plan and to the promises of maintaining a rounded mix of retail shops. Condominium dwellers who need to travel by automobile for most of their needs, are hoped to not be the vision of the authors of the Wayne Business District master plan and overlay codes, especially when their garages open directly onto a street. Worse, that street is an un-widenable alley, serving now as a busy side street. The planned building will significantly inconvenience the entire population.

My appeal was quashed by the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas on July 14, 2008 for procedural reasons, which I opposed at length, claiming unusual Township notification procedure, inappropriate and improper Court blockages, and retaliation to me in another case, which is presided over by a Judge who lives in Radnor Township. I appealed those decisions in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on August 20, 2008, and the appeal is pending.

If you live in Radnor or work in or shop Wayne regularly, and you are concerned about these issues, sign the petition opposing the proposed structure. Please email me at .