West Vincent Board of Supervisors

March 26, 2012

To the members of the Board of Supervisors, past and present; the Township Manager;

the Zoning Officer and the solicitors who oversee our township business:

My husband, George T. Graham, D.D. S., and I, Suzanne M. Roth; wish to express our

profound disappointment with the lack of oversight displayed by the Board and itsadvisors to protect our Historic School House property.

We now face a 10,000 to 12,500 square foot office complex on this 2.78 acre propertywhich far exceeds reasonable development. We do not believe that a Fiscal Impact

Statement should be waived. This is an historic village with roads to match. If the

property is developed as planned for each parking space allotted there will be 8 cars trips

anticipated to travel our roads. That would mean approximately 256-270 more carspassing our house on a daily basis or turning around somewhere in the village to enter the

office complex. With this amount of volume we will need a traffic light at the cross

roads of School House Land and Flowing Springs Road and a 3 way stop at the junctureof Hollow Road and School House Lane to prevent accidents. The steep grades and lack 

of sight lines should make this necessary.

The township police cannot enforce the 15 MPH speed limit on the lower portion of 

School House Lane now. I believe this added volume will make us ripe for accidents.

As it is now most of the people who travel this portion of the road DO NOT OBEY the

speed limit and many small collisions occur as evidenced by the amount of mirror glasson the road and its verges. In inclement weather we have had 2 very major accidents at

the corner of School House Lane and Hollow Road; one when a car went airborne off 

School House Lane and clipped the side of the Sladek house and moved the LP gas tank and another when a car again went airborne off Hollow Road and entered the Sladek barn

on the second floor level.

Working plans drawn by Edward B. Walsh in May 1991 to enable the installation of 

utility sheds on this same property show an active stream and wetlands. In fact the

buildings were moved to comply with a then 50 foot set back from the stream. As theplan stands now all evidence of these natural resources has been removed. The stream

has been piped and the wetlands denuded and filled with stone. We believe these

changes have adversely impacted a tributary of the Birch Run, an exceptional value

stream.

Has the capacity of the well been determined? Can it support 4 buildings and their

occupants?

The sewage facilities have been placed along School House Lane above the planned

buildings. If this site fails where will the alternative site be? Is this sewage sight 150 feetfrom the still shown wetlands?

 

There has been No Notification from Birchrun Village, L.L.C. to the surrounding

neighbors regarding any of the changes or proposed changes to this property.

With the addition of 3 buildings on this property the increase in light pollution will

magnify. Now, if lights are left on in the evening or overnight the light enters thebedrooms of surrounding neighbors. What will be the effect when a parking lot for 32-34

cars is illuminated?

We would like to see the separate plan sheet submitted showing truck and emergency

vehicle access around the entire development as suggested by John Caruolo, P.E. We

understand there has been a letter written to the township by the local fire departments.We would like to have copies and review these letters.

We strongly believe that the Birchrun Village, LLC. should not be given a waiver to put

buildings and parking spaces within the 150 foot set back of streams. Our zoning callsfor a set back of 150 feet from an historic building. Their plan calls for placing one of the

buildings within 62.5 feet of the School House.

Developing this Office Complex will forever  change the nature of this historic village.

This type of development belongs at Ludwigs Corner or at Routes 113 & 401 not in the

village.

We strongly ask the supervisors to reject the waivers asked for by Birchrun Village, LLC.