Crebilly Farm Update 2/1/20

Thank you so much to all who were in attendance this past Thursday, at the second Conditional Use hearing regarding Crebilly II.  Thank you, also, to the three groups that evening with legal counsel present:  Thornbury Township, Birmingham Township and the Westtown Township Planning Commission. (The PC that evening, happened to be represented by one of my favorite sharks, Michael Gill, who certainly did not disappoint)!  I commend those ‘every day’ residents with their own legal standing, who were brave enough to comment and ask questions for the record and all the others who were there and listened in support.  What courage it takes- for anyone- to stand and speak before an audience of township officials, developers, attorneys and other concerned citizens.  Please keep up the good work.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the next two upcoming and important meetings:

1) WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH 7:30PM, Westtown Township Building, 1039 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, PA 19382

2) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25TH 6PM,  Rustin High School, 1100 Shiloh Road, West Chester, PA  19382

I am pleased to announce the Crebilly I application is now ‘resolved.’  Many of you may have already heard Toll Brothers has decided not to appeal to the PA State Supreme Court.  I cannot help but wonder where we might be- facing the bulldozers, perhaps- if not for the undaunted resilience of the public and the Westtown Township BOS and PC.  We must keep going!  Moving forward, focus will be on the Crebilly II application.  There is not much difference between the two applications; Toll Brothers still intends to build 317 units on Crebilly Farm and its historic land, if granted Conditional Use by the Westtown Township BOS.

Toll’s counsel, Gregg Adelman, proposed that all of Crebilly I records (exhibits and testimony) be included in the Crebilly II proceedings.  His motion was granted by the BOS after consultation with Westtown BOS counsel Patrick McKenna.

Fiscal Impact was the subject of this past Thursday’s Conditional Use Hearing.  A Fiscal Impact Analysis was presented by Toll’s Land Planning Consultant, David Babbitt.  Here is the link to his Fiscal Impact Analysis (good luck staying awake):

If that doesn’t knock your socks off, here is the video link to the entire evening:

Solicitor for the Westtown Township Planning Commission, Michael Gill, drove home some very good points for the record regarding the value of open space as it pertains to the return on environment.  It is proven that “saving land saves money.  Homes in Chester County capture a measurable increase in value as a result of protected open space.”  For more information, here is the link to the Chester County Planning Commission Open Space: Return on Environment report and video:  https://chescoplanning.org/openspace/roe.cfm

The fate of the land of Crebilly Farm will set the tone for all of us in the years to come.  I remind all, if approved, this kind of development will cripple our community.  Not only is the proposed development far too vast for the surrounding area and infrastructure, our national history will be compromised with the loss of Revolutionary War Battlefield.  Please continue to remain engaged and do what you can to attend these very important hearings.  Massive public outcry, through bodies in seats, sends a message to all parties involved that we will not pay the price for someone else’s selfish greed.  We need to continue to push for a path of compromise; a balance between landowner rights, thoughtful development and preservation.

If not you, then who?

Sincerely,

Mindy Rhodes