Save Ardmore Coalition Newsletter

SAC Newsletter

dmuth — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:02:27 -0500

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November SAC Newsletter

dmuth — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:14:40 -0500

Dear SAC Members,

There are many important meetings scheduled for this month... try to attend these important events:

Wednesday November 12th at 6:45 PM - Lower Merion Township Building, 2nd floor Board Room - Ardmore Transit Center and Revitalization Project Update. Presentation by Dranoff Properties. Updates and revisions to the redevelopment plan. Public comment opportunity.

Sunday November 16th at 4:30 PM - At All Saints' Church , Montgomery Avenue and Gypsy Lane in Wynnewood - "Lower Merion and Development - How Much is Too Much?" Roundtable discussion sponsored by Wynnewood Civic Association featuring Jason Duckworth of Arcadia Land Development, Sarah Peck of Progressive Housing Ventures and Hon. Marvin Reed, former mayor of Princeton. This free event is open to all, will allow for all who attend to participate in this discussions and should prove to be an important and interesting event.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008, at 8:00 PM - Lower Merion Township Building, 2nd floor Board Room - Kimco (Suburban Square)'s petition requesting that the current zoning on the property at 2 West Montgomery Avenue, Ardmore (Ruby's parking lot) change from a split zoned R-7 and C-1 zoning district to the entire property zoned C-1 Commercial. If Kimco's petition is granted, it will allow them to develop the full Ruby's lot to the maximum height allowed under MUST (7 stories). Although this petition for zoning map change will not be voted on at this meeting (a separate public hearing will be scheduled for that purpose) this 11/19 meeting will be the only opportunity to hear from Kimco about their request, pose questions and also allow for public comment.

Anyone interested in reviewing the proposed Zoning Map Change Ordinance may review this information on the Township's web site or in the Building & Planning Department, or the Township Secretary's Office at the Lower Merion Township Building, 75 E. Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA,

Looking forward to seeing you at these events,

Sharon Eckstein
President
Save Ardmore Coalition

SAC Meeting time change

dmuth — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:23:10 -0400

Dear SAC Members,

This Thursday's SAC meeting (9/25) will start at 8 PM rather than 7 PM to allow representatives to the Ardmore Adhoc meeting to attend. Kindly note this time change.

Hope to see you Thursday! Agenda topics include the upcoming "Be Vocal - Shop Local" campaign, SAC mural project and street beautification efforts.

Thank you.

-- The Save Ardmore Coalition

Upcoming Events and Meetings

dmuth — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:46:58 -0400

(Have trouble viewing this newsletter? View it online at http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/2510)

Hello All!

This has been an exciting month for the Save Ardmore Coalition! Come to our September meeting and get involved in our upcoming projects - community mural, community beautification efforts, workshops and community forums. Become a part of our efforts to monitor proposed development in Ardmore and to advocate for Ardmore! Our next meeting is set for Thursday, September 25th at 7pm at Hunan restaurant, 2nd floor. Hope to see you then!

Sharon Eckstein

--- Mark Your Calendar For These Important Events ---

Thursday September 18th, 7pm: Ardmore Then and Now - free slide presentation showcasing Ardmore of the past and the present with Lower Merion Conservancy's Lori Salgonicoff. This Lower Merion Conservancy event is being co-sponsored by SAC and the ArdWood and Ardmore Progressive Civic Associations. It will be held at The Household of Faith Deliverance Church on the corner of Athens and Linwood Avenue in Ardmore.

Friday September 19th, 5pm - 9pm: Linwood Park Park(ing) Day Celebration - Come have fun with your neighbors at the site of the soon to be Linwood Park (parking lot at the corner of Linwood and Athens Avenue in Ardmore)

Thursday September 25th, 7pm: SAC Meeting - Held on the second floor of Hunan Restaurant

Thursday October 2nd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Lower Merion Transit Summit - Hosted by Congressman Jim Gerlach with presentations by SEPTA and AMTRAK at the Lower Merion Township Administration Bldg, 2nd Floor Board Room, 75 East Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore.

SAC September 2008 Newsletter

dmuth — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:23:42 -0400

Dear Friends,

It's a very exciting time for us at the Save Ardmore Coalition! We are receiving a grant check which will us further our mission in the community, and we are having an event to help our beloved Ardmore VFW and American Troop Support Team on Friday, September 5th, 2008 during First Friday Main Line!

We hope you will join us and hang out with our very special guests including the one and only cool green dude from Philly - The Phillie Phanatic.

SAC June 2008 Newsletter, Issue #2

dmuth — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:48:50 -0400

Dear SAC members,

The June 20th SAC meeting was the first of what will become a regular monthly meeting. SAC is starting to meet more often to allow membership to more actively engage in the ongoing issues of development, zoning and planning that continue to face our township. Regular meetings will set agendas, action points, and activate our community to deal with these issues.

On the table at this meeting, were 6 points of focus for SAC in the next few months. We are organizing committees around these issues and events will be planned to focus our actions in the near future.

SAC June 2008 Newsletter

dmuth — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:57:31 -0400

Dear SAC member,

Development Update - Lots of development on the horizon in Ardmore - the plans for 106 Cricket Avenue (Stuard Funeral Home) have been approved by the Board of Commissioners, Suburban Square has presented their plan for development of the Ruby's Parking Lot (7 stories of mixed use and parking), Dranoff Properties has signed a Letter of Intent with the Township reflecting an intent to proceed with further negotiations for the Ardmore Redevelopment Plan Project. SAC is interested in getting the community's voice heard - we are drafting a petition which we will be circulating for your signature in the immediate future. This petition will urge the Township and Board of Commissioners to revisit the MUST Ordinance and revise it to deal with the problems it promotes. Stay tuned for another email with details about the petition later this week.

Next SAC Meeting - This Thursday June 19th at 7pm at Hunan Restaurant, 2nd Floor. Mark your calendar for the third Thursday in July - July 17th, - same time, same place for SAC's July meeting. SAC is resuming its monthly meeting schedule and next week we will solidify our fall meeting schedule.

At the upcoming meeting, we will also be focusing on developing our new committees. SAC is seeking volunteers - and hopefully that means you - to work on the following committees:

Garden Committee (SAC will be responsible for a small flower area in downtown Ardmore)
Grafitti Fighting Committee (fighting graffiti in Ardmore and helping property owners paint over it)
Petition Committee (willing to circulate a petition to your neighbors)
Transit Committee (issues pertaining to transit/train station/SEPTA/AMTRAK/bike lanes/Philly car share pod)
Public Comment Committee (volunteering to speak at Board of Commissioners meetings during public comment)
Outreach Committee (working with other Ardmore stakeholders to create consensus on matters that affect us all)
Public Workshop Committee (helping to plan and promote community workshops slated for 2008-2009 year)

Please make an effort to attend next week's meeting. And feel free to email with your committee selection.

Thanks for your continued involvement in Ardmore! Wishing you a wonderful summer!

Sharon Eckstein
President
Save Ardmore Coalition

P.S. The Earlington Men's Club has painted over its huge wall of graffiti after many months. Other property owners have also addressed their graffiti and painted over it. Thanks to the Ardmore Clean Up Group for working together with SAC to combat graffiti in Ardmore.

May 2008 Newsletter

dmuth — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:09:30 -0400

Hello All!

Hope you are enjoying spring... here is an update on upcoming events and ongoing concerns. SAC looks forward to your community involvement.

Where do we go from here?

dmuth — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:48:42 -0400

Dear Friends,

By now you have received the meeting notice from Sharon Eckstein, President of The Save Ardmore Coalition. I thought it important to note that this is not intended to be a monster meeting, but it is intended to set a footprint for the future. As Sharon said "Where do we go from here?"

To that end, the reality is we are going to have redevelopment. Some people are ok with that some are not. But it IS going to happen, so as a community, we need to remember that. As a community we need to move forward towards the Ardmore of tomorrow. YOUR participation, as interested citizens and residents is crucial to the process. You need to be an advocate for the kind of positive change you want to see.

Because no plans are set in stone at this point, how the redevelopment occurs and what it will look like in the end is something we can all as a COMMUNITY have an impact on. How can we extract as many community positives as possible?

I am giving all of you a homework assignment if you are planning to attend our meeting. I am suggesting this in the effort to save time and assist in an orderly meeting process:

I want all of you who come to this meeting to take the time PRIOR to the meeting to type up or write down what YOU love best about Ardmore. What are the top 3 things you wish to see accomplished in redevelopment? If you have specific areas of concern, write that down and again, be precise as to physical locations if that is applicable in your comments. If you as a community member have a specific type of business you would like to see in Ardmore, now is the time to mention those things. What is YOUR ideal plan for the future? The township has chosen a developer, if you could have five minutes with him, what would you like him to know and why?

This is not intended to be a dissertation, so I am including a word maximum: 500 words or less.

You do not need to sign your name to the homework assignment unless you have a desire to possibly be contacted about your thoughts. In that case, be sure to include your name, phone number, street address and e-mail address.

Please understand that I am not saying we will discuss at THIS meeting every thing you write down - I am not. Again, this meeting is to open a new dialog as to where do we go now as a community. SAC is part of the community, but your voices must be heard as well.

What is past is past, we should focus on the future. Your written feedback will give our board something to digest and go over.

Hope to see you Thursday April 3rd, 2008 at 7 PM at the Hunan Restaurant, 2nd floor. Feel free to bring a friend or interested neighbor. Comments welcome at

Carla Zambelli
Vice President
Save Ardmore Coalition

SAC Meeting Update

dmuth — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:37:27 -0400

Dear SAC member,

Much is going on in Ardmore..... the recent selection of Carl Dranoff as developer of Ardmore by the Township's Board of Commissioners, the at least 5 more projects slated for Ardmore (condo, mixed use, and rental residential), Suburban Square's desire to develop the Ruby's parking lot into 275 residential units above storefront level retail and more.

Please mark your calendar and come to the next SAC meeting on Thursday April 3rd at 7pm at the Hunan Restaurant, 2nd floor.

Turn it Out for Ardmore 3/5/08. (Even if You Live Elsewhere in Lower Merion Township)

dmuth — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:51:48 -0500

(Trouble reading this email? View this newsletter online at http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/2120)

As you may or may not know, this morning we all learned that EBL&S, headed by Lower Merion resident Ed Lipkin, was withdrawing as the chosen developer for the Ardmore Redevelopment Plan prior to the completion of the contract between developer and township. Before this morning, all we knew was the township was negotiating with the developer, and as many of you know, we recently held a joint meeting with ArdWood Civic Association and met with the developer and some of his team.

This Morning's LMT Press Release:

EBL & S Withdraws from Negotiations for Ardmore Transit Center and Business District Revitalization

We are shocked by this news. Yet, the reality is as a community we must soldier on. We need to move forward, and instead of perceiving this as gloom and doom, we should as a community explore our options now and in the future. There are decisions to be made, and they must reflect the true will of the citizenry.

The Save Ardmore Coalition would like to impart the importance of tomorrow's public meeting, Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at approximately 7:15 p.m. which is directly related to this news:

Next SAC Meeting

dmuth — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:38:50 -0500

Dear SAC Members,

Due to the fact that the Ardmore Adhoc Committee meeting is scheduled for this Thursday(2/7), SAC will NOT be meeting on Thursday at 7 PM.

Mark your calendar for our next meeting which will be held on Tuesday, February 19th at 6:30 PM at the Household of Faith and Deliverance Church located at the corner of Linwood and Athens Avenue in Ardmore. SAC will be meeting with Ed Lipkin, the developer chosen by the Township for the Ardmore Transit Center/Ardmore Revitalization project. Please make an effort to come to this meeting - it is your opportunity to express your concerns and your needs, ask questions, and engage in dialog with Mr. Lipkin. This meeting will be held jointly with the ArdWood Civic Association.

Sincerely,

The Save Ardmore Coalition

Be Vocal/Shop Local: Discover More in Ardmore

dmuth — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 23:56:33 -0500

As part of Save Ardmore Coalition's "Be Vocal/Shop Local: Discover More in Ardmore" campaign we would like to help out our friends at MilkBoy Coffee. if you haven't visited them lately, please do so today!

We believe in our local businesses and support them. We are asking that you do the same!

Employees working in Main Line businesses are invited to take advantage of Milkboy's all new Lunch Special with this coupon.

Milk Boy's menu is available at: http://www.milkboycoffee.com/menu.php

Peace!

December Newsletter

dmuth — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:10:47 -0500

Dear SAC member,

It has been a very busy December... here is some of what SAC has been doing:

Supporting Local Merchants - SAC is increasing its efforts to help promote community support of local businesses, particularly those located in Ardmore, by initiating its "Be Vocal - Shop Local" campaign.. Buttons with the words BE VOCAL SHOP LOCAL DISCOVER MORE IN ARDMORE are being distributed and are available for free at stores throughout Ardmore. If you would like a button, feel free to pick one up at one of the following locations:

Pennywise
Suburban Office
Ardmore Initiative
Hunan
Giannini Jewelers
Past*Present*Future

SAC is urging residents to wear these buttons throughout the holiday season and beyond to remind everyone of the importance of shopping locally. If we want our downtowns to prosper, we all need to support our local merchants.

Graffiti Clean up - Regarding graffiti clean up in Ardmore, SAC continues to ask the community to send in any graffiti sightings to . We are coordinating graffiti clean up efforts with the Ardmore Clean Up Group. If you interested in helping out, please email us as well.

Ardmore Development Proposals - SAC has been extremely invoIved in the recent meetings regarding development proposals for Ardmore. I urge you to get involved in the Ardmore RFP developer selection process. Mark your calendar for January 10th - the next meeting for public input regarding the developer proposals for Ardmore. This is your time to voice your concerns about the proposals, state what your vision for Ardmore is and to get involved.

SAC can not continue its efforts without your financial support. As a nonprofit community group that operates on a shoestring budget, we need your financial support to cover expenses and to fund our community awareness efforts. Please consider sending in a contribution, not tax-deductible to you, to:

Save Ardmore Coalition
P.O.Box 453
Ardmore, PA 19003

Wishing you and your families a happy holiday season and a joyous New Year!!

Yours truly,

Sharon Eckstein

Save Ardmore Coalition
President

610-896-2170

Important public meeting on Wed, December 5th in Lower Merion

dmuth — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:52:16 -0500

Greetings friends!

Below is the meeting notice from the township regarding a crucial public meeting on Ardmore, and please, send your feedback to us at SAC as well (comments@saveardmorecoalition.org ) - Also, if you can send us a small donation, it would be greatly appreciated. You can do so by sending a check made payable to "The Save Ardmore Coalition" and mail it to:

The Save Ardmore Coalition
P.O. Box 453
Ardmore, PA 19003

Save Ardmore Coalition November Update

dmuth — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:32:25 -0500

Hello neighbor,

Important meeting change - The schedule for the Ardmore RFP developer presentations has been changed. Note your calendar for the new dates and time for public interviews with four developers - Strategic Realty, EBL&S, Dranoff Properties, and BET Investments - now scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th and Thursday November 29th at 6:30 PM. Both meetings will be held at the Township building in the Board Room. Each developer will make a multimedia presentation of no more than 40 minutes which will be followed by 50 minutes of questions from the public and the Board of Commissioners Economic Revitalization Committee - a total of 90 minutes for each developer interview.

Comments for township - SAC urges everyone to send in their comments, questions and thoughts about these development proposals to the Township before Wednesday November 21st. Community feedback will be incorporated into the developer presentations. Send your thoughts to and a copy to SAC will be forwarding comments on to commissioners and others with a role in this developer selection process.

130 Cricket Avenue - The Lower Merion Township Zoning Hearing Board has issued its opinion in the matter of SW Land Associates' 130 Cricket Avenue proposed development ....the developers' application for a special exception has been denied! SAC opposed the granting of the special exception to the developers and is thrilled with the Zoning Hearing Board's decision. The Opinion lists numerous ways in which the Zoning Hearing Board felt that the developers failed to sustain its burden of proof and therefore it denied the application. The opinion can be found on the SAC website:

4089SWLandAssoc130CricketAve24-and-a-half-SchoolLnArd11-15-07.doc

The developers have 30 days to appeal the decision (until December 15th) but this is a huge victory for Ardmore.

SAC Graffiti Fighters - Have you noticed the increase in graffiti in Ardmore? SAC is actively working to pressure property owners to paint over graffiti and has created a group of volunteers to assist building owners with painting over graffiti. Interested in helping out your community in this way? If you notice graffiti, please email its location to And if you can lend a hand with painting, please let us know as well.

Thank you for staying involved in our community,

Sharon Eckstein
President, Save Ardmore Coalition

Save Ardmore Coalition November Newsletter

dmuth — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:34:08 -0500

Dear SAC members,

November is a very busy month here is Lower Merion! The Township is moving forward with the Ardmore Transit Center and Business District Revitalization Project and community involvement and feedback is strongly needed at this time.

As you may know, the Township issued a Request For Proposals ( RFP) from developers and received 5 different development teams' proposals. All submitted proposals can be found on the township website at www.lowermerion.org under the link: What's New > Ardmore Transit Center Project.

The Township's Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) reviewed and "ranked" these proposals - the TEC ranking and evaluation is available on the Township website at http://www.lowermerion.org/MonthlyActivities/20071107ecrev.html. The TEC is providing its results to the Board of Commissioners' Economic Revitalization Committee and has recommended a "short list" of developers to be interviewed.

Public interviews with four developers - Strategic Realty, EBL&S, Dranoff Properties, and BET Investments - are scheduled for Monday, November 26th and Wednesday, November 28th at 7:00 PM. Both meetings will be held at the Township building in the Board Room. Each developer will make a multimedia presentation of no more than 40 minutes which will be followed by 50 minutes of questions from the public and the Board of Commissioners Economic Revitalization Committee - a total of 90 minutes for each developer interview.

These are YOUR meetings - these are interviews for the public to attend and to actively participate in. The interview process is your chance to question each developer, to state what you like or dislike about each proposal, to raise questions about each proposal, to comment on the proposals, etc. I urge you to attend these meetings and to share your concerns,thoughts and questions once you are there. Your questions, comments and feedback to the proposals can also be submitted to and will then be forwarded on to Commissioners and Township staff. Please take the time to email your thoughts to us in the immediate future.

You may also want to check out this pdf link since it is a summary of sorts about the Ardmore RFP submissions - http://www.lowermerion.org/MonthlyActivites/ER_Att20071107.pdf.

The months ahead will be important ones for the future of Ardmore. The community needs to be involved throughout the process- developer interviews, developer selection, monitoring the process, watchdog for preservation of all that we hold dear about Ardmore, promoting the vision of Ardmore that we want to see nurtured, etc.

Express your thanks this November by getting involved !

Sharon Eckstein
President
Save Ardmore Coalition

P.S. Tivo Alert! SAC's documentary, Ardmore: A Village At Risk, will be aired on WHYY TV12 this Sunday, November 11th at 11:30 PM.

Economic Revitalization Committee meeting, 11/7 at 7 PM

dmuth — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:46:15 -0500

Greetings,

Just a heads up to people, there will be a meeting on Wednesday, November 7th at 7 PM in the Board Room of the Township Administration Building. The topic of the meeting will be the Ardmore Transit Center and Business District Revitalization Proposals.

The meeting agenda and a the results of the Technical Evaluation Committee scoring can be found on the Township's website at:

http://www.lowermerion.org/MonthlyActivities/20071107ecrev.html

Members of the public are invited to comment at this meeting.

We'll see you there!

-- The Save Ardmore Coalition

SAC Meeting

dmuth — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:33:40 -0400

Dear Friends and others,

The Save Ardmore Coalition is having a meeting on Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 7 PM on the second floor of Hu Nan Restaurant in Ardmore.

Our agenda will simply be what's on your mind where you live? Tell us what's bugging you! Our meeting start time is firm, but our meeting end time is approximate.

This is our first meeting since summer started, so we hope to see you on Thursday!

Zoning Board Meeting on Thursday at 7 PM

dmuth — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:27:04 -0400

Hello SAC members!

The Zoning Hearing Board meeting for the proposed development of 130 Cricket Avenue in Ardmore is scheduled for this Thursday (September 6th) at 7PM at Merion Fire House on Greenfield Avenue in Ardmore. This should be the final hearing - the matter has been going on for many months without a determination. The meeting is your opportunity to speak out about the prosed development - the demolition of a Victorian home, the bundling of parcels, the building of a condominium 3x the size of the current zoning limitations premised on the pretense of affordable housing ( one bedroom units selling for over $300,000 counting as affordable).

What follows is Commissioner Maryam Phillips' recap of the last zoning hearing board meeting - she has been a vocal opponent of the proposed development.

From: Maryam Walker Phillips
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:07:36 -0400
Subject: 130 Cricket Continues 9/6/07

Neighbors,

The application for 130 Cricket Ave is scheduled to continue on Thursday, September 6th at 7 pm in the Merion Fire Company (due to meeting room conflicts at the township building). If you had to leave early from the last hearing date, the applicant continued to put on its case with witnesses: civil engineer returned, their Fair Housing expert witness was actually more of an academic with experience in ADA
accessibility, and not fair housing practices in PA, and their architect testified it was not possible to state their application would /not/ meet state and federal guidelines for building designs required by law because there was not enough detail on the plans.

There was quite a bit of discussion about the separation requirements, this time between the Spring and Simpson Condo project and theirs. Anticipating that, the applicant re-designed the placement of the apartment building to push it as far to the rear of the property as possible to achieve a 1,000 foot separation. The question still remains, however, whether the separation is based on building to building length or lot line to lot line length. If the ZHB upholds lot line as the basis, 130 Cricket cannot work. The ZHB was disturbed by the applicant's plan changes and lack of notice to the Board and opposing counsel - for this reason, every witness that testified last Thursday will be subject to recall by opposing counsel Thursday night.

It is every intention of the ZHB to wrap up all testimony Thursday night. This includes the final witness for the applicant (traffic study) and opposing counsel witnesses and public statements. I remind everyone to focus on specific issues that affect health, safety and welfare (is there a school bus stop nearby that will be affected by increased rush hour traffic? I recall the SEPTA bus runs hourly down Cricket? etc.) They do not want to hear this application is going to get some poor pedestrian killed due to the extra traffic, for example. Be aware that the applicant's counsel may wish to ask you questions if you testify/raise public comment. You can bring pictures if they are relevant; just stipulate you were the one to take them and when. Even if you do not testify it is important for the community to show up.

I am sending all this info because I will be in Harrisburg for a meeting I must attend for my regular job. I will be out of town Thursday and Friday this week. The township solicitor's office will attend though. Please forward this info to anyone you think will be interested. Here is the notice from the township web site.

Maryam Phillips

MEETING NOTICE
TOWNSHIP OF LOWER MERION
ZONING HEARING BOARD

Notice is hereby given that the Zoning Hearing Board of Lower Merion Township will hold a meeting as required by Lower Merion Code Chapter 155, as amended and codified by Ordinance 1802, at the *Merion Fire Company of Ardmore*, 35 Greenfield Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, on *Thursday, September 6, 2007, at 7:00 p.m.,* at which time there will be a hearing on the following cases:

Appeal No. 4089

Applicant: SW Land Associates, LLC
Property: 130 Cricket Avenue and 24½ School Lane, Ardmore, PA 19003 (Election District #4). R 6A Residence District

The applicants propose to consolidate the rear portion of 24½ School Lane with 130 Cricket Avenue, demolish the dwelling and accessory building on 130 Cricket Avenue and seek a special exception under §155-50.2 to build a three-story 37-unit subsidized apartment house (with a minimum of 19 subsidized units) with underground parking.

Anyone interested in reviewing the applications and plans may review this information in the Building Regulations Division at the Lower Merion Township Building, between 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting should contact this office at 610-645-6172.

By Order of the Zoning Hearing Board
Michael R. Wylie, Secretary

SAC Newsletter: Issue #2007-06

dmuth — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:52:39 -0400

Hello SAC members!

As many of you already know, there is the potential for the Township to purchase the parking lot situated at the corner of Athens and Linwood in Ardmore. It now appears that this may become a reality. Below are 2 important messages - first is an email from Commissioner Jane Dellheim and provides good news about the potential new park in Ardmore. Below it is an announcement for a community yard sale to benefit the park. Pledges from community residents are being collected. If you have not made a pledge, please consider doing so.

Thank you,

Sharon Eckstein

1. Email from Commissioner Jane Dellheim

The Board of Commissioners discussed the acquisition of 50 Linwood in executive session last week. (municipal real estate acquisition matters do not come under the Sunshine Laws). A ceiling has been agreed upon by the Board. Before Commissioner Rosenzweig and I can sit down with Mr. Scardino the Board has to publically give permission to enter into negotiations. That will be done on Wednesday before the regular board meeting. While there is an opportunity for public comment perhaps it should just come from Eric Lowry, President of ArdWood, anyone is free to speak if they wish. I am confident that this will pass.

After Wednesday Phil and I will arrange to meet with Mr. Scardino and proceed. Phil is an able real estate attorney and I have a lot of confidence in his ability.

I will continue to fund raise with my new list of possible donors from around the Township. Donations have between $5.00 and $1,000.00. Most of the neighbors adjacent to the lot have contributed generously. Children have pledged with their parents. North Ardmore Civic pledged $500 and Hugh Gordon and Chad & Alison Graham also pledged personally. I received a $500 pledge from a member of the 1st Church of Christ Scientist who lives in Media. Commissioner Phillips pledged $100. To date 76 people have pledged $21,500.

I am very encouraged. Tomorrow I will get an update and announcement of the upcoming sale in MLT & MLL as well as advertise it in my remarks on Wednesday.

Pledges may be sent to me at 1336 Medford Road; Wynnewood 19096 or to .

Best-

Jane

2. Participate in a community yard sale

When: Saturday June 30th 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: Homes throughout Ardmore

Please participate by hosting a yard sale of your own if you live in Ardmore and donating the proceeds to purchasing the lot. If you can not host a yard sale, bring items to 35 St. Pauls Road, Ardmore. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of the lot and the creation of an Ardmore community park on the site of the parking lot.

Help Support the Preservation of Open Space in South Ardmore

If you wish to participate or for more information, contact Lynn Brandsma at or 610.896.8886.

(Note: - In the event that the Township does not purchase the property, proceeds will be donated to the Ardmore Library)

Meetings with SW Land Associates

dmuth — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:22:54 -0400

Craig Snyder and Mark Weiss of SW Land Associates are planning to host 2 open meetings with the residents of Ardmore in the very near future. This will be an opportunity for them to present more information and plans regarding their proposed development and for residents to ask questions and make comments. Both meetings will be held before the scheduled Zoning Board meeting on June 14th.

Meeting #1 will be held Thursday evening (June 7th) at 6:30 PM in John Henry's Pub at 98 Cricket Ave in Ardmore.

Meeting #2 will be held on Tuesday June 12th at 6:30 PM, also in John Henry's Pub.

Appetizers and soft drinks will be served.

Some background on SW Land Associates' project:

They want to build a 37 unit building at 130 Cricket Avenue and 24 1/2 School Lane. Some of these units will be "affordable", but rumor has it that "affordable" really means "$300,000 per unit". (see http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/1522)

Finally, we apologize for the short notice on these meetings, but these meetings were very recently scheduled.

We hope to see you there!

-- The Save Ardmore Coalition

SAC Newsletter: Issue #2007-05

dmuth — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:57:03 -0400

Greetings from the Save Ardmore Coalition!

Table of contents:

1) May 17th Community Forum: What can Lower Merion Township do to protect our traditional neighborhoods?
2) HARB Award to SAC - celebrate at Hunan on Tuesday, May 15th at 8pm
3) Public Meeting Scheduled for Ardmore Transit Center Project Request for Proposals (RFP) on May 30th
4) Ardmore AdHoc Committee
5) About this Newsletter

1) May 17th Community Forum: What can Lower Merion Township do to protect our traditional neighborhoods?

SAC Newsletter: Issue #2007-04

dmuth — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:27:40 -0400

Table of contents:

1) Upcoming SAC Meeting
2) Fund Raiser Benefit For Moira Shaughnessy
3) What's new on the SAC website?
4) Get your own blog on SaveArdmoreCoalition.org
5) About this Newsletter

1) Upcoming SAC Meeting

The next SAC meeting will be at 7 PM on Thursday, March 15th at Hunan on 47 E Lancaster Ave, 2nd floor.

The agenda for this meeting will include:

- Finalizing plans for Saturday night's fund raiser

- Some discussion about the upcoming community forum

Updated SAC meeting date

dmuth — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 12:42:41 -0500

Hi everybody,

We made a little oopsie in the recent SAC Newsletter. We meant to say Thursday, February 15th, and NOT thursday, February 8th.

We apologize for the error. Our webmaster has resolved to drink a minimum of two cups of coffee before sending out future newsletters.

Sincerely,

The Save Ardmore Coalition

February SAC Meeting

dmuth — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 12:27:51 -0500

The next SAC meeting will be at 7 PM on Thursday, February ~~8th~~15th at Hunan on 47 E Lancaster Ave, 2nd floor.

The agenda will be as follows:

1. Select Officers and Directors for the 2007-2008 year.

2. Discuss Historic Preservation in Lower Merion.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

The Save Ardmore Coalition

Roundtable Discussion on Thursday, Jan 18th

dmuth — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:55:09 -0500

Dear SAC Members,

Instead of a regular Save Ardmore Coalition meeting this Thursday, January 18th, we will be attending this event:

Thursday January 18, 2007 at 7:30 PM at the St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Wynnewood and Athens. The precise address is 415 East Athens Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003.

As mentioned in a previous post by one of our wonderful other bloggers, this is a joint venture ArdWood Civic, North Ardmore Civic, & SAC are coming together for indeed a greater good: to present a roundtable discussion on neighborhood preservation.

The title of our roundtable discussion on neighborhood preservation is "Balancing Development with Preservation: Maintaining the Character of Our Neighborhoods in the 21st Century".

These are conversations we must have in our communities because as we live in the present and work to plan our futures, communities need to have concrete plans regarding preserving our pasts. And face it, each town, each neighborhood, each municipality is steeped in wonderful pasts. The history of our area is so fascinating from the settlement of our area centuries ago, and how we grew.

And while we appreciate our history, we are sometimes left feeling betwixt and between trying to achieve balance with what we seek to preserve and what government and developers mandate as essential smart growth for lack of a better description.

This roundtable presents a unique opportunity for all to come together: citizens, government, developers. Perhaps if we all were able to find a common ground life might be a little less contentious at times. Perhaps we will never achieve that utopia, but we should all try.

We are fortunate to have an incredible panel of speakers (list incomplete as of this post):

Adrian Scott Fine. Adrian is the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Northeast Regional Director

Nancy Lotz Narberth Borough Council Vice President

State Representative Daylin Leach

The roundtable is free and open to the public from all communities. We encourage everyone to attend. And that includes government officials. After all, to practice good government, isn't it essential to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk???? And we are fortunate to have at our community disposal, such an informed panel of speakers!

Folks, together, we have a chance at a balanced and bright future! E-mail and with questions. Media is also welcomed and encouraged to attend this event.

SAC Holiday Party and MUST Discussion

dmuth — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 21:15:39 -0500

SAC HOLIDAY PARTY

In lieu of SAC's monthly meeting, we will be having a Holiday Party this Thursday, December 14th. It will start at 7 PM at Hunan on 47 East Lancaster Ave, 2nd floor.

WHAT IS MUST?

MUST stands for "Mixed Use Special Transit". It is an ordinance for rezoning parts of Lower Merion township.

Area residents have had concerns with certain provisions of MUST, and there have been difficulties in getting those concerns addressed by the township. So we have set up a special forum on the the Save Ardmore Coalition website for discussion of MUST and related develeopments. The forum can be found at:

http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/forum/must

POSTING IN THE FORUMS

An account is required to post in the fourms. If you do not have an account but would like one, you can sign up at:

http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/user/register

Happy Holidays,

The Save Ardmore Coalition

November SAC Meeting

dmuth — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 21:29:11 -0500

The next SAC meeting will be at 7 PM on Thursday, November 9th at Hunan on 47 E Lancaster Ave, 2nd floor.

Moira Shaughnessy - executive director of the Ardmore Initiative will introduce herself to SAC members at our November meeting. We will have an opportunity to find out what the Ardmore Initiative is working on and dialogue with Ms. Shaughnessy. Please join us!

Sincerely,

The Save Ardmore Coalition

Broader SAC Mission and Website

dmuth — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:17:18 -0400

Hello folks! We have a couple of new things that we should like to tell you about:

Next SAC Meeting - Sherry Tillman of Past Present Future and chair of First Friday Main Line will be speaking to SAC at our upcoming SAC meeting. She will talk about First Friday and explain how we can volunteer and lend a hand to support this wonderful event. Sherry is a dedicated member of SAC. SAC is a sponsor of First Friday and supports this community effort to promote the towns of Ardmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr. Please come to the meeting which is scheduled for Thursday 10/12 at 7pm at Hunan Restaurant, 2nd floor.

Broader SAC Mission and Website - SAC succeeded in defeating the use of eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore and continues to work positively towards the reenergization of Ardmore and preservation of its uniqueness. SAC is working together with other community groups to promote our community; our sponsorship and support of First Friday is but one example of our efforts. SAC has broadened its mission to include concerns of development, revitalization and community preservation for all Lower Merion towns. Our website http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/ will now have a broader focus dealing with concerns that effect Lower Merion. Our website now has forums where individuals can make entries and particiapte in discussions. Every user now has the option of writing a blog about Lower Merion concerns and/or events. Lower Merion events can be posted . Please check out our website to see all of these exciting changes! http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/community

Sincerely,

The Save Ardmore Coalition