The West Marlborough supervisors invited representatives of the Chester County Economic Development Council to their March meeting and told them they're concerned that the council's plan to encourage development along the Route 1 corridor will increase traffic and jeopardize valuable farmland.
Bill Wylie, who heads the West Marlborough board, said the township is already seeing the effects of local development in the form of increased commuter traffic. He said many West Marlborough residents have eased their property expressly to protect the area's rural character.
Supervisor Jake Chalfin said bluntly that the Development Council's plans would "drive sprawl." He spoke about how the formerly rural northern part of Chester County, where he used to live, is no longer recognizable because of development.
Gary Smith, president and CEO of the Development Council, said he understood the value of agriculture and referred repeatedly to the fact that he grew up on a dairy farm in West Bradford. Bob Grabus, Development Advisor Consultant for the Development Council, spoke passionately about the importance of creating good jobs. He said he is sensitive to concerns about sprawl and said the Council is proposing development only on sites that are zoned for it immediately along Route 1, between the bypass and the East Penn Railroad tracks.
Supervisors from Upper Oxford and East Marlborough Townships were also at the meeting to hear Smith and Grabus's presentation. Charlie Fleischmann, an Upper Oxford supervisor, urged the West Marlborough supervisors to share their concerns with county-level officials.
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