Sleepy Berwyn is getting a wake up call as developers give it a fresh look. As reported in The Suburban & Wayne Times this week Westrum Development Company is seeking to aquire two and half acres of the Mack Oil property. Westrum has a good reputation for taking brownfield sites, that is sites that have some pollution of soil and developing them. They were recently selected to develop the Paoli Station complex, so maybe they have their eyes on developing along the Main Line these sites that are close to stations. This plan is for 88 housing units in two separate three level buildings in place of the office, storage shed and oil delivery site. However from what I gather through the various articles opposition is growing in two townships, Tredyffrin and Easttown. So development may be a lot harder to be approved as the site falls in both townships.
Some comment has been made that the development is very close to the Berwyn Station and a campaign has been created to stop the development www.protectberwyn.com is a newly posted site that has information about meeting to oppose the development and the status of it as it moves along the process. There will be a meeting about the proposed development at the Easttown Library on the evening of April 26th beginning at 7.00 PM.
There have also been plans to develop a mixed use site in Daylesford, a mile or so further west from Berwyn on a site that has been created by a developer through purchase options of homes and commercial sites. This too is being countered by many local residents.
A question to consider though is whether these housing developments will provide affordable housing for residents who may work at local hospitals, police forces or in local government, who cannot afford currently to buy homes in the townships or close to where they work, if so would development be more acceptable? If these are planned to be super luxury developments along the lines of those in Wayne are they needed?
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"sleepy Berwyn" as you call it does not need a develper like Westrum or anyone else for that matter to come in here so they can capitalize by cramming as much high density housing as they possibly can with no concern for our townships,community or town. There are now more than 500 residents that believe this would be catastrophic to the the towns infrastructure,schools,traffic and overall landscape.
This, we believe, would be anything but a "fresh look" to our sleepy town that we love so dear.
William,
Thanks for the comment and the update. As a resident of Berwyn I read about this in the Wayne & Suburban times, I had seen some signs on lawns in the past week and checked out your web site. "Sleepy" is the descriptive word used by the newspaper and in a way Berwyn copared to the other towns along the Main Line could be described that way, it has a slower pace and less traffic congestion than both Paoli and Wayne.
I think we need to hear both sides and whilst I understand your desire to maintain the status quo there is a real need in our area for affordable housing. Whether Westrum plans this development to provide that is a question that needs asking. I also wanted to draw attention to the fact they had been selected to manage the development in Paoli which many might not know and also to let residents know about your meeting at the library.
Thanks for being passionate about your home town.
I heard this week that Westrum is pulling out of the development of the Mack Oil site. So Protect Berwyn has won this round. However, what will happen now? Will Mack Oil develop the site through expansion? What companies that are able want to buy a site with toxic problems? We shall have to wait and see what happens. I do not think the townshps are going to make a park as many want. This may have been a small victory for Protect Berwyn and end up with a worse result.