Planning Commission Approves Dividing Chester Road Property

Swarthmore’s Planning Commission approved plans to subdivide the property at 686 N. Chester Road into two parcels at a nearly three-hour meeting on August 19. The vote was 10 to 1, with commissioner James Levine voting no. 

Chris DeBruyn (left) chaired a nearly three-hour Planning Commission meeting to consider a subdivision application on North Chester Road.

The approval of Cavalier Homes’ proposal comes with a recommendation that an additional setback be required for the resulting parcel facing North Chester Road. (The second parcel faces Oakdale Avenue.) Borough code for the RB district, in which the property lies, requires that houses be set back at least 25 feet from the street. Since most of the houses on the 600 block of North Chester Road are set back significantly further, the additional requirement would site a new house approximately as far back from the road as others on the block. 

The plan now goes to Swarthmore Borough Council for consideration.

Approximately 20 neighbors attended the meeting, many voicing complaints and posing objections. One borough resident, an architect, submitted a six-page comment, including drawings, showing how the new houses might relate to the current streetscape. 

Historic House to Go

One major objection concerns the building currently on the property, which has been uninhabited for years and has fallen into disrepair. The house, believed to have been built in the late 19th century, is on the borough’s list of historic structures. Several people voiced hope that it could be restored. 

“The existing house is in sad shape, but it’s old and it has character,” said commission member and architect Don Jones. Swarthmore resident Steve Schloeder, also an architect, noted that the Delaware County Planning Department has recommended that the house be saved.

Developer Chris Varela and the project engineer, Jack Robinson, said they had looked into restoring the house. They concluded, however, that it was too far gone, with open holes to the sky and extensive rot and mildew. “The only thing you’d save would be the foundation,” Robinson said.

Aesthetic Concerns 

Several neighbors voiced concerns that the new houses would not match Swarthmore’s character in aesthetics, materials, or craftsmanship. “I’m not against development,’’ said resident Jim Foggo. “It’s more about the quality and the nature of the development.” He cited language about subdivisions in the borough’s planning and zoning code promoting design that is conducive to “the orderly, efficient, integrated, and harmonious development of the Borough.” 

Commission chair Chris DeBruyn asked Varela if he would be willing to provide addresses of comparable projects, which he agreed to do. Robinson stated that Cavalier Homes does not build the same house on every lot. He said he had directed the architectural firm for the project, Architectural Alliance, to look at Swarthmore houses before drawing up plans.

DeBruyn several times pointed out that the borough has no power to influence the design of a house, so long as the house meets the zoning code. He said if the community were interested in instituting a design review procedure as part of the standard zoning and approval process, the commission could discuss the possibility.

Trees

The development’s tree plan was also an issue. Commission member Elizabeth Jenkins, the group’s liaison to Swarthmore’s Environmental Advisory Council, said the subdivision plans did not comport with the borough’s requirement for tree replacement when mature trees are cut down. 

Robinson pledged to adhere to the tree requirement — and all other zoning code provisions — in the final plans. 

Borough Manager and Zoning Officer Jane Billings said that landscaping is reviewed at the building permit phase of the application process, not the subdivision application phase.

Neighbors continued to voice concerns about Cavalier’s proposal even after the public comment portion of the meeting, and to ask the commission to specify a minimum setback for the proposed houses. DeBruyn advised them that they could take their concerns to Borough Council when the council takes up the commission’s recommendation on September 8. 

“You’ll have the opportunity to give your input to them,” he said.