Monday, July 7, 2014

Big Plans in The Making for Media's West End

proposed site of 22 townhomes
Things are starting to get serious regarding plans to develop the west end of Media along Baltimore Avenue.  This month, details were released on ideas two collaborating companies have that include bringing 22 town-homes and a 150 unit apartment complex that would flank both sides of Media's western gateway.  More details to come, but you can read more about this project here.

If approved, this will no doubt change the whole dynamic of the west side of town and further illustrated the need to open Third Street Bridge as an alternate means of entering/exiting Media.

30 comments:

  1. David Della Porta and Jason Duckworth do not have a snowballs chance in hell of getting these 22 town-homes built. Don't they realize this property backs up to the hallowed grounds of Glen Providence Park. Beware of the FrOgs my friends they will hold this development up just like the Third St. Bridge. Silly rabbit didn't you know only the FrOgs are allowed to build and live near Glen Providence Park. no commoners allowed. Media boro Everyone's Hometown ----- hardly

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    1. That's what they thought BEFORE they built the homes along West Street, which is just above the park.

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    2. Um yeah captain obvious---- those are the homes they were referring to. The original FrOGs live on parks edge lane right off west street. Now they are against development but before they just wanted to live near the park. Hypocrisy at its best.

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    3. Who said FrOG had a position on development ?

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    4. I don't know how many times I have to say this but the homeowners on Parks Edge didn't build the homes a developer did to private land that he bought. So If the current homeowners didn't buy them someone would have. Are you that dense? Anon 3:38 show me where the FrOGs as you state are against developing that privately held land?

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    5. Wow spoken like a true entitled home owner of Parks Edge Lane----- we didn't build the homes a private developer did ---- we just took advantage of the opportunity to live near the park. but god forbid Media re opens Third St the way it always was cause then cars would ruin our peaceful setting with all the noise and pollution. the FrOgs are for themselves guarantee they will protest this development.
      As to against development the FrOgs are bitching about i tiny piece of unusable park land that the new dam will encompass that is anti development. Infrastructure development but development still

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    6. Well, on another note common sense says why would you replace a high hazard earthen dam with a new high hazard earthen dam? A concrete dam would solve the problem but would cost more money. So can anyone think of creative ideas to accomplish this?

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    7. Hey anon 4:58 what will you do if the residents of this new development form a group similar to the Frogs and then they form an alliance with them to protect the park? Change your diapers again?

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    8. John Queeney- Kirk LaneJuly 9, 2014 at 11:05 AM

      @July 7, 2014 at 4:26 PM You are funny! Everyone knows that the people who live on Parks Edge Lane did not build the homes and that it was a developer. The problem with your member who lives on that street is she confessed that she knows the houses should not be there and would have protested the building of them if she knew in time. Since it was already too late she told me that someone was going to live there so why not her. I have since started applying that logic to a lot of things now that I know someone who is obviously a better steward to the earth than I am does the same. For instance, I had my yard sprayed for bugs last year since the way I see it if the chemicals are already made they will get used so why not for me? In years past I would not have done this but applying the PEL logic makes it so much easier to be green!
      Purposely making sure her yard is overgrown is her way of combating the abomination that is her home. The abomination statement comes from one of your own members but I think that may be a bit strong but again this other member of your group is also a better steward to the land than I am so she must be right. I just think of the houses as an eyesores when I am in the park trying to get away from everything and just looking for some open space. But I also think it is the best street in Media and would love to live there and would love even more to start a group to clean my backyard (The Park) after years of neglect!
      Just curious, what is the next step in the plan to delay the dam work? I am guessing that it is to stall until the money goes away , continue to vilify the club , continue to make the residents of Orange Street shoulder the additional traffic , waste more time, fuel and money by forcing school buses out of their way and eventually have a hemp rope bridge?
      I think we owe BLCC a big thank you for allowing us to put back a dam and avoid the higher cost of a bridge (8xs more if I remember what Councilmen Davidson stated ) that is obviously needed now that the population is so much more than when originally constructed as a way in and out of town. Bottom line it is a road that is needed by taxpayers and your neighbors. Only time will tell and I am sure you are not finished. With all that being said and even though we clearly do not see things the same way with the bridge I do admire how down and dirty you get and that you don't care about the "screw you" attitude that is so apparent. Forcing things to go how you want them is tough work and you are all doing a great job regardless of how hypocritical you are perceived . Bravo.

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    9. Why would a dam under a road cost less than just a bridge? What are the ongoing costs to the taxpayers to maintain a dam and dredge the private lake?

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    10. Oh - I thought dam maintenance was passed on to County taxpayers. Don't you live in County? Does BLCC have $ for dredging?

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  2. The Baltimore Pike corridor is the least attractive part of town, but unfortunately it is the most visible part of town as it serves as the thegateway. It is the equivalent of retail brownfileds. I think this development would be a great first step and a home run in the long run.

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    1. So true. If you come in from the East, Media looks pretty sad. There are the abandoned fields on the Eastern side of town; the could-have-been Wawa site, and the lot at Edgemont with the sun-faded "Coming Soon" sign. The We Buy Gold place adds just the right Urban Blight feeling to the eastern gateway, then there's the Raven, and the fact that you WILL get stuck in traffic at that light.

      At the risk of sounding snobby, a building project like this could improve that first impression that new visitors get; at least for those coming in from the West.

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  3. MORE townhomes? MORE construction? how about a little open space...gee, novel idea.

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    1. This isn't open space now, it is abandoned eye sore with existing structures. There would no loss of open space with this development, but rather a re-purposing what was once a retail spot. The park will remain the park with plenty of open space. It is nice to talk about more open space when we are snug in our houses that have already been built. How about others that might want the opportunity to move into Media, enjoy all our town has to offer and contribute to this wonderful community? You want more open space? Sell your house, turn the lot into a micro-park.

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  4. I agree. Keep some open space on the West End. It is what makes it my favorite side of town.

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  5. More houses=more taxes and more.tax paying borough taxed consumers. When Khan gets ousted as MBA exec maybe some change will happen. Couldn't run a business good enough to keep from going bankrupt yet gets paid to head the MBA? makes no sense

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  6. Any relation to Eli Khan?

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  7. The MBA is a money laundering mechanism for Borough Council, a way to spend taxpayer dollars with no public notice and no record of paying any bills in the meeting minutes. I blame the exec director for allowing it to continue.

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  8. Quick... How many acres of open space could we finance at today's interest rates if we could eliminate the $40,000 annual PIO and the $60,000 annual "contingency". I'm kidding... But look at all that money we're just pissing away.

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  9. I would love to see Media's empty ugly lots turned into attractive affordable eco-friendly homes (small condos/townhomes) where nice people will move in and green it up with gardens. The open spaces I currently get to see are eyesores.

    Maybe I'll move back if one of the townhomes is for sale for less than a half million dollars...

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  10. The lack of affordable housing is a challenge in many communities. Community based organizations cannot function if the population they rely upon for volunteers cannot afford the time.

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  11. There is plenty of affordable housing in Chester and I do not see many if any good "community organization" in that town. As a homeowner I do not want subsidized housing in my neighborhood, if I go to re-fi the sale price of any recently sold home would affect my appraisal and therefor the interest rate I would have to pay. How many "community organizations" do we need in a town of about 5,000 people?

    We already have plenty of non-profit groups competing against and steely customers from tax paying business in the borough. A lot of people complain that the big box stores run the small mom and pop stores out of business; the same could be said for many "non-profit" companies.

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  12. I was referring to the volunteer fire company which will be a paid department before you know it and you won't be able to afford the taxes. Not even on the radar...

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  13. Staffing volunteer fire stations is a challenge in most communities, it seems to me income levels and affordable housing have very little to do with that issue. All neighborhoods from Gladwyne to Darby have the same problem. There is no way to predict what type of housing will attract volunteers for the fire company and artificial manipulation of the housing market will not solve the problem, it will only create another problem.

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  14. By affordable housing I certainly never meant to imply subsidized housing! I simply mean a walkable town with a vested interest in being green and eco-friendly should be crammed full of small housing on small lots.

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  15. I didn't see anyone suggest that the housing market should be artificially manipulated. I just see someone implying that the lack of affordable housing results in homeowners who don't have time to volunteer because they are too busy working all the time to pay the mortgage.... Or, the homeowners are older highly paid wage earners who are very likely physically unable to fight fires.... Not to mention the time consuming training involved. But again... Nobody suggested an artificial manipulation of the housing market

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  16. @1:41 pm. My two comments were July 7 9:27pm and today at 1:15 and that last post was in reply to July 8th 1:29pm's comment. Frankly, I don't get the logic behind the affordable housing/ community organization part so I did not comment on it. It seems shaky at best. Especially since I've been one of those volunteers and I don't fit any of those categories!

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  17. You are one of a dwindling number of very brave exceptions.

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  18. I'm glad Delco is getting yet more townhouses/development because it really needs it!

    If this goes through (or not, really) I wonder how long before there is a light at the intersection of Ridley Creek Rd and Baltimore Pk.

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