Crebilly Farm Update 12/21/19

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds each of you enjoying the season upon us.  Unless there is some earth-shattering news between now and January, this will be my last correspondence until such time.  I apologize this email is longer than I would have liked… just scroll through to the parts that interest you.

Last Wednesday, December 18th, was the first Conditional Use Hearing for Crebilly II where Party Status was given to those who qualified.  Approximately half of the previous 30+ individuals and groups that had Party Status for Crebilly I sought and were again granted Party Status for the Crebilly II application.  In addition, 20+ new individuals stepped up to acquire Party Status for the Crebilly II application.  “Fantastic” I say!  The Westtown Township Planning Commission and both Birmingham and Thornbury Townships were among those granted Party Status for Crebilly II.

Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming Conditional Use Hearing dates:

Below is the link to the video of the 12/18 hearing where Westtown Township Solicitor, Patrick McKenna, gave a great explanation of what it means to have Party Status and also the difference between Conditional Use and Land Development.  Mr. McKenna’s opening statements and explanations may be heard in the first segment of video and I think well worth listening to for those who wish to gain a better understanding:

Here is the latest Chadds Ford Live article regarding the first Crebilly II Condtional Use Hearing:

For those interested in showing their support, Mr. Richard Pomerantz, currently Chair of the Westtown Township Planning Commission, will be sworn in as new Westtown Township Supervisor:  Monday, January 6th, 7:30PM  Westtown Township Building. 

I look forward to being there in celebration of a new beginning.

Since the latest Commonwealth Court decision regarding Crebilly I, in favor of Westtown Township, I have been asked similar questions regarding conservation of Crebilly Farm.  Where one has a question, I think others do too.  So I will do my best to explain, reminding all of you I am about as far from a lawyer as one can be.  Question:  Since Toll Brothers lost another appeal, can Crebilly Farm now be put into conservation?  (My) Answer:  No.  Not yet.  Toll Brothers has 30 days to appeal the latest Commonwealth Court decision to the PA Supreme Court, regarding Crebilly I, should they choose to do so.  Toll Brothers and the Robinson family are under ‘an agreement of sale.’  (To my knowledge, no one outside of those two entities knows any details of the agreement).  Until and unless that agreement changes, both parties are still bound to each other.  In the meantime, Crebilly II has just begun the Conditional Use Hearing phase.  Unless and until both of these applications are dead and/or either party is no longer under agreement, no outside entities, such as our local conservancies or the township/county/state, may enter into a conservation effort.  In addition and most important, the land owners must be open to conservation, which it seems in past years, they have not been.

Let us continue to keep West Bradford Township’s recent success regarding the settlement of the Embreeville site fresh in our minds.  After six years in litigation, they came to an agreement with the developer/landowner.  Thanks to all of you and massive public outcry over the last three years regarding Crebilly Farm, our local conservancies such as Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands, The Land Conservancey of Southern Chester County and the American Battlefield Trust in Washington D.C (formally known as the Civil War Trust) are all well aware of Crebilly Farm and what is at stake.  (In fact, they are on this email list).  Should an opportunity arise down the road (and the road could be many more years long), all of these organizations can pull together plans they are discussing now and put them into action.  Success is when opportunity meets preparation.  We must continue to prepare for an opportunity to come our way.

I wish you all a warm and cozy holiday season with loved ones.  May you enjoy some much deserved naughty food and libations and detach from things that do not matter.  Together we shall remain committed to the best possible outcome for Crebilly Farm and our community and I promise to reach out again early in the new year.  Should I suddenly go missing, please do look for cowboy boots in the freshly poured concrete foundation of a new housing development…

Warmly,

Mindy Rhodes