Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 22
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
$1.50
Oxford Borough Council discusses height restrictions for cluster developments By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer Oxford Borough Council discussed height restrictions in the PD-1 zoning district at their recent meeting. A proposed zoning amendment to change the height from 25 feet to 35 feet for a defined cluster development was reviewed, specifically for the Moran Farm Development.
Borough Solicitor Stacey Fuller explained that the Frost Development, also known as the Moran Farm, was before council to discuss a change in height. Fuller said, “The applicant has two options to go to the Zoning Hearing Board or to amend the PD-1 ordinance to change the height regulation to 35 feet. I suggested it would be appropriate to have the developer here tonight to discuss whether
council is willing to give us a consensus on what they would require.” The developer’s attorney, Debra Shulski, said, “Sycamore Crossing, which is also a cluster development was approved for 35 feet building height and they are adjacent to this development. I’m not sure how that happened. We can only suspect it was possibly a typo.” After a lengthy discussion,
it was suggested that Frost Developers notify all residents in the PD-1 zone, and pay for those notifications. In other business, Oxford Police Chief Sam Iacono asked for prayers for a police officer’s family that lost a member in a fire. The chief also informed council that all officers passed their firearms test. A new police vehicle is being outfitted and will hit the streets in three to four
INSIDE Borough Council
votes to move community grocer’s ideas forward
County awards $6.7 million for open space, park improvements...6A
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer The six-year journey to open a cooperative grocery store in Kennett Square Borough moved one step closer to an eventual reality on Monday evening. By a unanimous vote on June 3, the Kennett Square Borough Council voted in favor of placing a letter of intent from Kennett Community Grocer on
weeks. Iacono informed the council and public that if a police officer is needed, you must call 911. “We do not dispatch from our station,” he said. “It is a county policy. We don’t have dispatching capabilities. 911 also knows where our police officers are located. The county watches the police 24/7.” Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen informed
council that a smaller group of experts are working with the borough solicitor on the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. “There has been a lot of back and forth. We will have a joint work session in June where we will review proposed amendments. We will also have an open house for the public so they can look at key changes,” she said. Continued on Page 2A
FROM OUR LENS Standing together for the last time
its June 5 consent agenda, following a 45-minute presentation by Kennett Community Grocer Board President Edie Burkey and a back-and-forth conversation between owner-members of the proposed cooperative and council members. The intention of the organization is to eventually occupy 7,000 square feet of space on the first Continued on Page 3A
Photo by Chris Barber
The Oxford Area High School Class of 2024 stands before the Air Force ROTC during the Pledge of Allegiance at the school’s commencement on May 31. For a complete story and additional photographs, see Page 1B.
Cecil County Life
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St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church seeking help for the homeless
© 2007 The Chester County Press
By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer If there can be a silver lining to the devastating fire in Oxford that left over 90 people homeless last September, it is that the fire clearly magnified the borough's need for affordable housing. Pastor Mary Ann Mertz of
St. Christoper’s Episcopal Church has studied this problem for many years, and she is focused on helping those in the community that are acutely aware of the need for affordable housing. Homelessness is a problem all over the country, and finding a solution to this problem would benefit everyone, not just those
who are homeless. It is not a stretch to say that homelessness affects health care, criminal justice, emergency systems and education. Imagine what your life would be like with no home; pause and imagine having no place to come home to and rest after a day of work. In Oxford, on one tragic evening last September, a devastating
fire made that a reality for 90 people in town. For many in the Borough of Oxford, the threat of fire is still evident, even eight months later. There are more than gaping holes on South Third Street to show how quick a life can change. There is still a hole in the soul of the community. “If it weren’t for the two
police officers who went door to door that night waking up sleeping families, it would have been so much worse,” Mertz said. “Like everyone in the community, we wanted to help in any way possible. We saw firsthand the helpless looks on the faces of those that had lost everything.” Trying to find homes Continued on Page 2A
Clover Market brings diversity of makers to Kennett Square Popular artisan show returning to Kennett Square on Oct. 20 By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer For six hours along the 600 block of South Broad Street in Kennett Square last Sunday, the blue skies and temperate late Spring breezes served in perfect harmony with the symbiotic connection between the nearly 100 participating artisans and hundreds of visitors who flocked to the most recent Clover Market event on June 2. Held in collaboration with Kennett Collaborative and the Borough of
Kennett Square, the market showcased row upon row of handmade jewelry, textiles, clothing and pottery created by artisans from Chester County and beyond, as well as collections from several vintage Continued on Page 2A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Alka Mattoo and Sebastian Knocurat of Orvana in Princeton, N.J. were among the nearly 100 vendors who showcased their work at the Clover Market show in Kennett Square on June 2.