We are interested to know if the Lower Merion Conservancy attended and spoke because they do have standing and it IS a historic district and class one historic structure.

So, Michael219, what is YOUR stake and interest in this property? 254 Righters Mill Road is a CLASS 1 RESOURCE located in a HISTORIC district. And if memory serves, this is a locally, nationally, and state recognized historic district.

Developers can't just roll on up and decide they want to "beautify" the neighborhood. This isn't about "creating an attractive environment" - this is about profit, correct? Is this developer going to move off his current 19035 street and move here?

Do you live in the neighborhood? Are you directly affected by the outcome of this project one way or the other?

The previous owner of the home is deceased, and why should he or his family be shunned? His family is part of the fabric of the history of Gladwyne. Should have the previous owner kept up the property better? Probably, but again, he's dead, so we can't really ask him about it, and furthermore, this house has managed to survive this long, it should survive into the future. The case can be considered that if a developer has the money to toss towards creating a row of McMansions on a cul de sac that no one wants or really needs, then this developer can afford to also correctly restore the house and grounds, right?

The development in this area has got to stop for a while. Not all of the blame can be placed on developers alone. Blame can also be laid at the feet of local government. Many are too pro development, and if that is the stance they are going to take, we should have a new comprehensive plan in place. Blame can also be laid at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for not having enough protections of small and historic neighborhoods in their Municipal Planning Code.

Please feel free to contribute to the dialogue, but please refrain from telling the neighbors of Righters Mill Road that they are wrong for how they feel.

National Trust for Historic Preservation: What's Wrong With Teardowns

Loss of Historic Houses
Teardowns often destroy older homes
that are part of the community’s heritage.

Loss of Community Character
Without proper safeguards, historic
neighborhoods will lose the identity
that drew residents to put down roots
in the first place.

Loss of Livability
Neighborhood livability is diminished as
trees are removed, backyards are eliminated,
and sunlight is blocked by towering
new structures built up to the property
lines.

Loss of Diversity
Community economic and social diversity
is reduced as new mansions replace
affordable homes

Glossary of Teardown Terms

Accessory Structure:
structure that is detached from a principal
structure (dwelling) on the same
lot, and customarily incidental and subordinate
to the principal structure or
use; increasingly seen as offering affordable
housing options in tight real
estate markets.

Character: special physical
characteristics of a neighborhood or
area that set it apart from its surroundings
and contribute to its individuality.

Character-Defining: a distinctive
architectural feature or combination
of features or qualities that distinguish
one building, neighborhood or
area from another.

Canyon Effect: term given to
a straight, usually blank, multi-story
wall going up next to an existing house.

Conservation District: an
area located primarily in residential
neighborhoods that has a distinct physical
character and preservation or conservation
as the primary goal; accomplished
through a variety of approaches
including the adoption of a zoning overlay
or independent zoning district, in
order to provide protection for characterdefining
streetscapes in older areas
threatened by new development or governmental
policies that undermine
rather than encourage neighborhood
preservation by the application of
neighborhood-specific design criteria
and/or development controls.

Designation: act of identifying
historic structures and districts subject
to regulation in historic preservation
ordinances or other preservation laws.

Historic District: an area
that generally includes within its
boundaries a significant concentration
of properties linked by architectural
style, historical development, or a past
event; may be designated locally by
governing body and subject to design
review procedures or advisory only;
also may be designated at state or federal
level on the National Register of
Historic Places.

Impact: the effect of any direct
man-made actions or indirect repercussions
of man-made actions on existing
physical, social, or economic conditions.

Mansionization: the process
of oversized McMansions replacing
homes in an older historic neighborhood.

Loom Factor: a function of
building size, location, height, coverage
and design; lot grading, landscaping
and other factors also contribute to the
perception of “loom;” derived from
houses the loomed over the street,
their neighbors or that changed the
existing patterns or neighborhood character.

McMansion: bulky, out-of-scale
new homes on small parcels where they
do not fit the existing character of a community;
some additional common terms
used regionally are “faux chateaux,”
“monster home,” “starter castle,”
“hummer house,” “garage mahal,”
“trophy home,” “big box Victorian,” “pink
palace,” “Tara on a quarter-acre,” and
“bigfoot.”

National Register of Historic
Places: official inventory of
“districts, sites, buildings, structure, and
objects significant in American history,
architecture, archaeology, engineering
and culture 16 U.S.C. § 470a/36 C.F.R.
part 60.

Rule of Three: a new house will
be three times as big and cost three
times as much as the old house it replaces
in a teardown.

Teardowns: the practice of purchasing
a home on a lot, demolishing
it, and constructing a new, larger house
in its place; the purchased home is
typically small and older; the newly
built house is oversized for the lot and
out-of-character with the neighborhood;
also referred to as “knockdowns,”
“scrape-offs,” “bash and build,”
“bulldozers,” and “scrapers.”

Zoning: the primary regulatory instrument
for implementing the general
plan. Zoning divides a community into
districts or "zones" which specify the
permitted and prohibited uses.

> Many comments from people on this blog have no clue what they are
> talking about.

Wow, nice flame there, Michael. Rather than try to quantify your statements, I see that you instead chose to insult other people and call them clueless. That's real mature.

So, the $25,000 question: Who IS michael219, anyway?.

A quick look through the logs shows that michael219 came from IP address 65.219.205.254, which resolves to host254.preit.com.

And who is preit.com? A quick visit to http://www.preit.com/ identifies them as the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.

While michael219 is certainly entitled to his opinions, it would appear that he has some involvement with a real estate company.

Just so we're all clear about peoples' motivations here.

I would just like to thank michael219 for publicly stating that my family should be shunned for neglecting our former home. What a delight it is to read insulting threads about my family.

My father, J. Clinton Stirk, absolutely LOVED his home at 254 Righters Mill Road in Gladwyne. He took great pride in maintaining not only our house, often referred to in articles as the "large cottage" but the 3 car garage and large apartment building also located on the 1.3 acre parcel of land. It meant a great deal to him that five generations of Stirks had lived on this property.

However, last year it became necessary for my mother and father to sell 254 Righters Mill Road. My father had been quite ill for some time and passed away in February of this year at the age of 81. Even during his illness, Dad continued to solely maintain the upkeep of the large property. It gave him great joy to do so and he was very proud of his home. My father NEVER neglected the upkeep of the property if he could help it.

Therefore, I would request that people show more respect in their threads now that they have additional facts from a DIRECT family member.