Crebilly Farm Update 1/30/21

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your participation by attending last Tuesday’s Crebilly II/Toll Brothers Conditional Use hearing.  About a hundred of you tuned in Tuesday evening and every name that scrolled along the computer screen is helping to make a difference in the ongoing quest for the best possible outcome for Crebilly Farm.  We need to continue our MASSIVE PUBLIC OUTCRY.  It was great to see more of those with Party Status in attendance.  Those who asked questions asked good ones.  And when there were no questions on the part of the people, to be present and answer ‘no questions’ is impactful. 

Please mark your calendars for the next two Conditional Use hearings to be held virtually:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd, 7PM  #9

TUESDAY, MARCH 23rd, 7PM  #10

Historic discovery is something that is always changing.  It is ongoing and in its own way, timeless.  It has become more and more evident over the years that most, if not all of the Crebilly tract, was once traversed by our American troops and the Hessian Jaegers during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of the Brandywine, September 11, 1777.  The latest Conditional Use hearing (#8) centered around the historic significance of Crebilly Farm, part of the Brandywine Battlefield, and one of the few remaining view sheds from that time. 

 
John Snook, planner for Westtown Township and expert historian, gave solid testimony on behalf of the Westtown Township Planning Commission to explain just that.  He has stressed again and again, the importance of, at the very least, preserving the western most part of the Brandywine Battlefield swath.  Mr. Snook was asked by PC solicitor, Kristen Camp, what it means to have ‘a development done well?’  I appreciated his answer.  Mr. Snook stated the Battlefield swath must be preserved; historical dwellings on the property must be preserved; there needs to be a reasonable buffer for the perimeter and a trail system for public access around the perimeter and there needs to be a logical mix of units. The key is in the layout. 

 
Here is the map used in that discussion:

Click to access Exhibit-PC-25-Plan-of-Crebilly-Tract-marked-up-by-John-Snook.pdf

The next Conditional Use hearing will center around traffic.  Westtown Township Planning Commission will present testimony from township traffic consultant, Al Federico.  

For those who wish to view the latest Conditional Use hearing #8, please click on the link below:

 https://crebillyfarmfriends.com/meeting-videos/

Reasonable.  I have always liked that word.  It is a good compass.  It is not hot or cold; it is not all or nothing.  It is not radical.  It can represent the meeting of minds.  We may not like all parts of reasonable, but reasonable means we can live with it.  We have not yet achieved a reasonable development plan for Crebilly Farm.  And unless and until we do, all of us together must continue to attend the Conditional Use hearings and hold the developer and the township to the highest standards, in order to preserve and protect what we value most in our community. 

 
If not you, then who?

Sincerely,

Mindy Rhodes