Now that a few days have past and the reality sets in that in the resolution to end eminent domain for private gain has passed, and whether you agree with the verbiage or not, you realize Ardmore has had a huge victory. But while our businesses heave a sigh of relief, while we all sit back to wait for the township’s next step and the RFP process, there is still one more teensy nagging issue: MUST.

Now at the meeting on March 22nd, some of our members found it amusing that the members of the media there to cover us were intrigued by MUST. Not because they thought it was the cat’s pajamas, be all and end all of zoning overlay ordinances, but because as has been discovered with us common folk, it is so darn convoluted, verbosely created and complicated, they don’t understand it either. We discovered that when it comes to MUST, even the eyes of seasoned media professionals glaze over.

Does everyone think that should be? We don’t. We crave a MUST ordinance that every citizen can pick up and say “yeah, I get that”.

Things we don’t get:
★ height of buildings
★ developer “incentives”
★ density vs. human scale
★ density vs. human scale vs. set backs
★ lack of affordable housing
★ lack of attention to historic preservation
★ lack of attention to preexisting residents and businesses
★ parking configurations (example: if you are a moderate income person, and own a car, how will you address HALF a space? Are you going to cut yourself in half or your car?)
★ lack of attention to infrastructure items like upgrades to power, water, and roadways

We heard some very eloquent commentary on MUST from some commissioners and citizens at the meeting. Of course a few perspectives at the meeting were a little like an overabundance of those rootie tootie fresh and fruities, or call us when you reach reality. But what struck us overall is that whatever the mistakes are in the ordinance that Montgomery County picked up on that caused a delay of voting on this ordinance, is like manna from heaven, and people need to take advantage of that.

Why?

Because fellow residents and concerned citizens it gives another month to get this right if it is something we have to have (which one commissioner keeps pointing out that in truth, we don’t).

It gives us one more month to try to understand why progress means we have to look like center city Philadelphia. Because we don’t know about you, but we will never get THAT: why progress is perceived as shiny new urban effects. Progress could be executed with a historic preservationist flair like Old Town Alexandria and Nantucket as but two examples.

But when it comes down to brass tacks: will the voices of the people matter or will those waiting in the wings with big checkbooks matter? And how will that impact who can afford to live here, and who can afford to have a business here.....that is why we MUST continue to discuss MUST and why we also need a comprehensive plan instead of all government being served a la carte.

Parting shot: Standing ovation to one of our commissioners from Ardmore. She pointed out the lack of affordable and low income housing, or even enough safeguards to preserve what we’ve got. And that is the BIGGEST problem with all this “progress” - it needs to be reconfigured so if you aren’t a millionaire, or pretending to be a millionaire, that you can continue to live here too.