We just received this press release. We are posting it in it's entirety:

April 23, 2007

Mr. Hank Mahoney
Radnor Township Board of Commissioners
Radnor Township
301 Iven Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087

Dear Mr. Mahoney:

Radnor Monthly Meeting wishes to express its concern for the process being used in the proposed development of 629 - 635 Conestoga Road, across from our Meeting. It is our sense that community participation in the development process is not being heard and we ask the township to insure that the citizens of Radnor be properly brought into the process.

Radnor Meeting supports the goals of the Save Ithan Coalition and The Delaware Riverkeepers Network. The Commissioners have received communications from both these organizations and we expect they will be looked at seriously.

We also regard other “stakeholders” to have the right to participate in this planning. Stakeholders, by definition, include the community.

At the February 5, 2007 Planning Commission Meeting there was much discussion of stakeholder participation. The township has since then initiated meetings among landowners and apparently restricted other voices from the community.

We share a concern that “landowners” have replaced “stakeholders” as the driving force in planning. Now, developers are exploring development of the entire stretch of Conestoga Road from Rout 320 to Radnor Chester Road. The immediate landowners should not be the sole participants in this planning.

As Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Dewey explained to a room of community residents at that February 5th Planning Meeting, this was a first step in a long process before the Township.

We hope that community involvement will be included at the beginning of the process, not at the end.

Early Quaker settlers established Radnor Meeting in the late 1600’s. Its current building was erected in 1718. Radnor Meeting has close to 300 members and attenders. The Meeting also has a close relationship with the New Gulph Children’s Center, which currently serves some 50 youngsters with quality day care.

Since it’s founding in 1971, The New Gulph Children’s Center has served over 1500 children from the community. They share Radnor Meeting’s concerns.

Respectfully submitted,

Radnor Monthly Meeting