Dear Friends,
Thank you for your patience regarding my tardy, written update. I left town early the next day, after the last hearing, and am still catching up. A reminder the front page of CrebillyFarmFriends.com is updated soon after each hearing and the video page has the entire hearing posted within a day or so.
Public comment was completed the evening of July 12th, regarding the Crebilly II application. Approximately a hundred people attended the hearing in-person and about thirty or more spoke for public comment. There are no more hearings scheduled at this time. ‘Findings of fact’ and ‘conclusions of law’ are due on or before August 11th and the Westtown Township Board of Supervisors has until September 27th to render their decision regarding Conditional Use.
For those who wish to view the entire evening, click on the link below and hearing #13:
https://crebillyfarmfriends.com/meeting-videos/
Here is the latest Chadds Ford Live article regarding Crebilly Farm and the final hearing (#13) for Crebilly II:
https://chaddsfordlive.com/2021/07/13/crebilly-hearings-concluded/
And just in case you have nothing better to do, here is my own public comment where I addressed members of Toll Brothers (who were rudely on their phones for much of the evening) and then the BOS:
https://crebillyfarmfriends.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/mwr-crebilly-public-comment-20210712.pdf
I was humbled by what others had to say the evening of public comment. So many well-written, heart-felt pieces read out loud by brave citizens standing and addressing the board and Toll Brothers. One of the most impactful pieces I recall was written by a lovely woman sharing her childhood memories of growing up in the village of Eagle: “a place where once held the stunning, quintessential Chester County bucolic beauty is no more. It has been ravaged by out of control, glutinous development that has consumed the history and natural beauty of the landscape. I moved away and returned too late to raise my voice against the ravaging of Eagle. I want to help prevent Crebilly Farm in Westtown township from becoming a place we can only visit in photos and memories.” As I sat listening to her gripping, heartfelt words, honestly, I was moved to tears.
The evening ended with what I will call a grand finale. A most compelling argument was made by Jack Embick, a member of the Planning Commission and a very accomplished environmental attorney. But that evening, he was there speaking as a deeply concerned citizen. Point by point, he stated each and every reason the board had legal grounds to deny conditional use. He really ‘wowed’ me. I am so grateful for his knowledge and expertise because the board cannot just say ‘NO.’ There needs to be hard-core legal reasoning to do so and Mr. Embeck nailed it. (See video part 4, minute 36 to hear for yourselves).
Thank you again for your continued time, energy and efforts by keeping Crebilly Farm in the forethought of others. Thank you so much to all of you who wrote letters to the board even though you were not able to attend the public comment hearing. You helped tremendously. It takes all of us and I think we have been a great team. I wish you a very enjoyable rest of the Summer. I promise I will reach out down the road when I learn more.
Sincerely,
Mindy Rhodes
Crebilly Farm Friends 
Well written Ms. Rhodes. I hope the effort will be successful and Toll Brothers will be stopped. Clearly, TB is about nothing but their own profit and they don’t care how they get there just so long as whatever they do say gets them to the goal of maximum profit as they rape nature.
Respectfully will house
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Thank you, Mr. House. I appreciate your comment.
Sincerely,
Mindy
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Hi Mindy, I had referenced the PA Constitution for a Westtown resident to construct some talking points on the 12th. I don think they followed thru. I live in Florida. Not sure if this can help right now, but it seems to me in general your PA constitutional rights are being ignored in the process. Please take note of these sections and see what you think. Corporate rights, or corporate personhood is usually treated as equal to humans, which allows corporations like Toll to keep coming back again and again with challenges, and crush small localities with dollars until they give up opposition. However, the delineated rights of Mankind per Sec. 1 conflict with corporate rights of personhood, and therefore supersede those (constitutionally perverse) corporate rights. So I hope this adds some ammo to your armory, if these tenets have not been exhausted. Bill Kitsch
CONSTITUTION of the COMMONWEALTH of PENNSYLVANIA
ARTICLE I That the general, great and essential principles of liberty and free government may be recognized and unalterably established, WE DECLARE THAT– § 1. Inherent rights of mankind. All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property and reputation, and of pursuing their own happiness. § 2. Political powers. All power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety and happiness. For the advancement of these ends they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think proper.
§ 12. Power of suspending laws. No power of suspending laws shall be exercised unless by the Legislature or by its authority. § 25. Reservation of powers in people. To guard against transgressions of the high powers which we have delegated, we declare that everything in this article is excepted out of the general powers of government and shall forever remain inviolate. (May 16, 1967, P.L.1035, J.R.1)
§ 27. Natural resources and the public estate. The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people. (May 18, 1971, P.L.769, J.R.3)
Full Text Chapter 1. – CONSTITUTION OF PENNSYLVANIA
https://blogs.law.widener.edu/envirolawcenter/files/2010/03/PA_Citizens_Guide_to_Art_I_Sect_27.pdf https://widenerenvironment.wordpress.com/environmental-law/art-1-sec-27-resources/
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Dear Mr. Kitsch,
Thank you so much for taking the time to send this to me. I have forwarded your message to the Board of Supervisors.
Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mindy Rhodes
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