Another townhouse development for East Marlborough

Ground has been broken for another townhouse development, this one at North Walnut Road and Gale Lane. The 54-unit "Villages at Northridge" is being built by Thompson Communities and is just across the street from Bentley Homes' Walnut Walk townhouses. The Northridge townhouses, being built in groups of two, are priced from the high $400,000s.
Five floor plans are being offered, with three or four bedrooms, 2.5 to 4.5 bathrooms, two garages, and up to 3,200 square feet. The architect is McIntyre Capron and Associates. 
Here's how the marketing team describes our area: "Surrounded by farms and vineyards, and steeped in Revolutionary War artifacts, the Kennett Square region is adored by history buffs, nature lovers, and foodies alike. Within a short drive of your new home, you’ll find rural adventures, historic happenings, and plenty of activity."

Here's a plot plan of the development. I drove by the other evening and noticed that some of the roads have already been installed.

Clearing the aisles

Hooray! On my weekly trip to the Jennersville Giant this morning I saw employees on their hands and knees scraping up those directional arrows that were supposed to reduce close contact between shoppers. 
As a policy I'm sure the arrows looked good on paper as executives scrambled to "do something" to improve customer safety, but the result ended up being frustrating and ineffective. Not many people shop by going up one aisle and down the next, and I know I inevitably need to backtrack for a forgotten or replacement ingredient, especially in these days of unexpected and weird food shortages. And if you followed the arrow system dutifully (which I actually tried to do) and had to backtrack, it meant increasing your time in the supermarket, which theoretically increased your exposure to the virus. 
I'm told the New Garden Giant has also removed its arrows, though they are still in place as of May 12 at the Avondale Acme.

POCOPSON: A unique house being built

Driving home from West Chester the other day, I saw a huge, angular modern house under construction, prominently placed on a hillside near the junction of Unionville Wawaset Road and Bragg Hill Road. 
When I got home I checked out the builder's website (Spire Companies) and found some photos and drawings of it, as well as aerial shots of the lot. Here is one rendering of what it's going to look like:

A friend shared a photograph that she took: 

There will always be a Happy Hour

Dearest Partner visited a Main Line retirement community the other day (in a professional capacity). He was allowed to enter only after having his temperature taken to make sure he did not have the coronavirus. He remarked to a staff member that things seemed pretty quiet, and she told him that the residents are being encouraged to stay in their apartments so as not to spread the virus. He observed that the activities bulletin board, which is usually packed full of movies, games, and religious services, contained only one item: 4 p.m. Wine Cart.
I'm guessing it is eagerly awaited.

Gone with the wind at Longwood Gardens

A Longwood Gardens correspondent shared this news about a casualty during the ferocious windstorm last week:

"On April 30 we said goodbye to an old friend, our beloved yellow cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata var. subcordata ‘Peirce’s Park’). During a strong wind storm, the 200-year-old tree fell within feet of the Peirce-du Pont House. This was the first tree at Longwood to be designated a state champion tree, meaning it was deemed the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania. It then went on to be deemed the largest in the nation. It was a sad day for the staff, and many could not resist giving the tree one last hug to say goodbye."

Here's a link to more information about the tree: https://longwoodgardens.org/plants/yellow-cucumber-magnolia