We are delighted to report that Radnor Township Zoning Hearing Board can say "NO" to bad plans (and apparently they don't make folks wait a long time to hear the "NO")

We're giving Radnor Township Zoning Hearing Board Gold Stars For This!

Radnor zoning board: Self-storage plan too big
Zoning relief requested for a storage facility in North Wayne denied
By Sam Strike

As the clock struck 1 a.m. early Friday morning, Radnor Township’s Zoning Hearing Board made it clear that the proposed plan in front of them for a three-building self-storage facility in North Wayne was simply too big.

Board members denied seven items of zoning relief requested by Rosedon Development Company for the former L.K. Burket & Bro. site that lies between Pennsylvania and Plant avenues.

During the April 17 zoning hearing, continued from the March meeting, a bevy of experts testified on the environmental state of the former oil site, the predicted traffic and use patterns, the proposed buildings’ architecture and design, and the realities of the self-storage industry.

The property in question is zoned to allow a warehouse use. However, the code that governs that C-3 zoning is not compatible with the way self-storage compounds have evolved to be.

For example, by zoning rules, the facility would need 57 parking spaces; Rosedon reps say they only need six.....“I would reject the project for a couple of reasons… I think the magnitude for the site is overbearing,” said board member Charles Falcone. “The amount of relief… we would have to grant would make this site overdeveloped.”

The goal for the storage facility would be to house antique or specialty automobiles on the ground-level units and use the upper floors in a typical storage fashion.

.....Board members in their questioning raised doubts on Rosedon’s ability to maintain a high space-rental fee in order to stay a “high end” facility over time.

The rental fee Rosedon said it was considering would be much higher than average self-storage; Spaeder also said they would implement long leases.

But Andrew Hyde, self-storage broker, owner and industry professional, testified that the longest-term lease in the area is month-to-month......Neighbors have expressed concerns on a number of issues such as impervious coverage, scale and crime....the board pointed Rosedon in the direction of denial.

Here's a novel idea: let these McMansion dwellers store their overflow vehicles in their garage mahals...