Villa Strafford Owner: I'm No Monster

Bharat Luthra is the latest person who is trying to restore the Villa Strafford restaurant.

He purchased the property last year with the hopes of creating an upscale restaurant with European cuisine.

But he quickly encountered issues that he did not expect. He said now that he is being unjustly accused of being a "monster" and someone who hates trees after some say

What exactly happened in August 2011 is not clear, as Luthra and Radnor Township do not agree on who felled how many trees.

The township (and some neighbors) said that he illegally felled dozens of trees. Luthra said some trees were cut down, but that he had not asked his contractor to do that, only to clean up a weed-ridden lot.

What is clear is that Luthra was facing a $25,000 fine from the township, but instead he may plant some trees and create a stormwater management system on the site (which Luthra says would cost him $50,000).

"I'm not a developer. I took it to make my own restaurant. I don't have a ton of money, we're working people," he said. "We want to live a decent life, a peaceful life. It was a nightmare."

Luthra partly credits the failure of his Garrett Hill restaurant The Kebob Factory on this case — saying his reputation was sullied.

Radnor is currently reviewing the stormwater plan that Luthra and his landscape architect have devised; a neighbor who saw the plan liked it, according to an email he sent to Luthra.

Luthra showed Radnor Patch maps from 2005 that show dead and rotting trees; some of those were amongst the 30 trees that the township counted against Luthra. This, he said, he can not understand.

"The theory is based on stumps. When they were taken down nobody can say," Luthra said.

He showed Radnor Patch an estimate for $3,410 for the work. It did not include taking down trees, and Luthra added that that would have made the estimate much more.

Luthra did say that his contractor took down a large pine tree because it was diseased. An invoice from the contractor also mentioned taking down "weed trees."

"What is a weed tree?," asked Radnor Township manager Bob Zienkowski, who took a hard line on this case, recommending a $2,000 per tree illegally felled.

But, he said, he'd rather Luthra invest his money back into the property in the form of trees and a stormwater management plan rather than pay a hefty fine.

Luthra "could have avoided the issue if he said he had cut them," Zienkowski said. He added that he thinks the issue can be resolved.

But will the Villa Strafford ever rise again? Luthra has already had an offer from someone to purchase the property from him.

Before Luthra, the property was owned by Alberto Guadagnini, of (formerly) Alberto's in Newtown Square; before him Theresa Takacs tried to make a spa there.

Is this lot cursed? Why do you think Villa Strafford has not been redeveloped?