Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Will the former restaurant (originally a home) be brought back to life as an office building?
As the site of the former Vila Strafford restaurant lays dormant (again), a developer is eyeing it for a mixed use development. Presenting a sketch plan in front of Radnor Township's Board of Commissioners on April 9, developer Bo Erixxon said the plan they are putting forward would turn the property's mansion into an office building and build eight townhomes on what is now part of a parking lot and lawn. He said they considered a single family home development, which would require the destruction of the mansion, which is on Radnor Historical Society's list of endangered historic properties. But in order to make the townhome plan work, Erixxon said they will need zoning relief and to build under Radnor's "density modification" statute. But…
Friday, April 12, 2013
Radnor voters will face four ballot questions this Primary Election.
Ballot questions about Radnor Township's Charter may bring out more voters to an off-year Primary Election on May 21. Voters will provide yes or no answers to four questions, which will contain within them multiple questions. Although Radnor solicitor John Rice said he doesn't think any of them are "major changes" in way the township gets things done, one of the valuable questions for the administration is raising the bid thesholds. Currently, any purchase made by the township more than $3,000, unless it is exempt (professional services or emergency expenditures) has to be put out to bid. That theshold of $3,000 was established in the Charter in the 1970s. Radnor is proposing that up to $7,500 for an expenditure can be spent without …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Noel Palma will bring a much-needed skill to the police department.
Radnor Township is hiring two new part-time meter inspectors to its ranks. Bryn Mawr resident Noel Palma is one of them. The Honduras native, who starts April 1, will also help the Radnor Police Department with Spanish translation when needed. Palma also speaks French; the other new meter inspector speaks French and Russian, according to Lt. Christopher Flanagan. Palma is manager of Flip and Bailey's in Garrett Hill. Prior to that he worked at Rolling Green Golf Club, Radnor Hotel and Overbrook Golf Club. He has been in the United States for 26 years. Palma told Radnor Patch that his background in customer service has prepared him for the job of meter inspector. Jim Iaccavino will continue his work as full-time inspector. Radnor's meters …
Monday, March 25, 2013
The township's holiday on Friday is impacting recyclables pick-up.
The Radnor Township Municipal Building will be closed on Friday, March 29 in observance of Good Friday. The trash and recycling will be collected according to a holiday collection schedule for the week of March 25th: Monday - District 1 Trash Tuesday - District 2 Trash Wednesday - District 1 Recyclables Thursday - District 2 Recyclables Yard waste will not be collected this week. You can find the township's collection calendar for this year in the pdf section of this article. Related: Do you recycle as much as you could? Find what is accepted by Radnor Township by clicking here.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Bill Spingler has represented the township's Third Ward since 1991.
Longtime Radnor Township Commissioner Bill Spingler is running for Treasurer of the township. Spingler has represented Radnor's Third Ward since 1991. With a five to two Democratic majority on the board, Spingler said he now has the "luxury" to leave the board with its majority, since if he is elected Treasurer the board would appoint his replacement, likely a Democrat. If he is not successful in his bid for the township-wide post, he would continue as commissioner, he said. "I decided to do something different," said Spingler, newly engaged, adding that as Treasurer he could live in any ward in Radnor. He said there has never been a Democrat elected as Treasurer in Radnor. "I think I can help expand the office," Spingler said of the paid …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Proposed zoning changes include allowing it everywhere in the township.
Proposed zoning changes currently being review by Radnor Township's Board of Commissioners would allow outdoor dining in all zoning districts and expand the timeframe that it is allowed. Currently outdoor dining is allowed in the Wayne Business District Overlay, but it is prohibited in the C-1 district, where many businesses are located including along parts of Lancaster Avenue, and it is neither allowed for nor prohibited in places like Garrett Hill. The new zoning would mean that "every restaurant would be afforded the opportunity to have outdoor dining," said Kevin Kochanski, Director of Community Development for Radnor. That does not mean there won't be restrictions. If passed as it is, the ordinance would require additional parking …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Diane Edbril worked as a prosecutor in New York City for many years, and is a founder and past executive director of CeaseFire PA.
Diane Edbril is the Democratic candidate running for Radnor’s Board of Commissioners in the Second Ward, which covers the Radnor neighborhood and part of St. Davids. The candidate said that the main issue facing the township is its debt and unfunded liability obligations. “We need to make sure we are managing those as responsibly as we can,” she told Radnor Patch. The township should “strike a balance between protecting taxpayers and ensuring that we live up to our obligations.” Edbril has been a committeeperson in the Second Ward for several years; she has also served as the Radnor Democratic Party’s vice chair for three years. This is her second time running for commissioner. Four years ago Edbril lost in her bid for the seat to Kevin …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Radnor Township Manager Robert Zienkowski will be holding four "listening sessions" next week.
Complaints, concerns, questions and comments—they are all part of the occassional "listening sessions" that Radnor Township Manager Bob Zienkowski and his staff conduct for the public. The sessions, which are open to the public, will take place on Thursday, March 14 at 8 a.m., 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 16 at 8:30 a.m. All sessions will be held at the Radnor Township Municipal Building except for the session at noon, which will be held at the Wayne Senior Center. The format of the sessions is informal and no RSVP is necessary. If you can't make the sessions send an e-mail with your comments and suggestions to Zienkowski at rzienkowski@radnor.org. Some issues that have been in the news recently include Villanova's development …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Watch Villanova officials, Radnor planners and local residents talk about the school's plans.
Villanova University officials presented their latest plan for a major development on the school's campus. Radnor Township's Planning Commission on Monday considered the school's petition to change Radnor's zoning for their proposal, which includes new dorms, a parking garage and retail stores for the space that is currently a parking lot. A performing art center is also included in possible future development. Revisions to an original plan include "a 30-foot frontyard setback along Lancaster Ave., increased setbacks along Ithan Ave. and buffering along the Rt. 100 SEPTA high-speed line, reductions in height for the parking structure and student residence buildings, and a parking scheme that diverts parking concentration and decreases the …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Radnor Township's Board of Commissioners seem set to build a sidewalk along Chamounix Road in St. Davids, but at what cost?
Radnor Township's Board of Commissioners seem ready to pull the trigger on a six-year plan to lay a sidewalk along the east side of Chamounix Road in St. Davids. In June 2006, Radnor Township approved a new classroom building and dormitory for Eastern University's St. Davids campus. Part of that approval was that the university agreed to fund the creation of a sidewalk from a pedestrian path to the school on Chamounix Road to the St. Davids train station. The proposed sidewalk would endanger a number of large shade trees along the street, and almost every resident whose property would be affected is opposed to it. The impact on trees, their liability and snow removal are amongst the residents' top concerns, said Steve Norcini, director of …
John Sheehan
11:51 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013
This property is currently zoned R-4/single-family residential and now a developer wants to cram everything including the kitchen sink--multi-family homes PLUS an office building. The multi-family units would tower over the adjoining homes on Farm Road. Now it appears to make sense why the current owner, Mr. Bharat Luthra, clear-cut most (30-50) of the trees on his property including those … more ›