EAST VINCENT TWP, PA — East Vincent Township supervisors will resume a conditional-use hearing Sept. 16 on AQ Dev LLC’s proposed 53-lot Ruth Farm development along Stony Run Road, where questions over sewer service, flooding, stormwater controls and the project’s compliance with township requirements remain unresolved.
The proposal calls for 52 new single-family houses plus the existing farmhouse at 446 Stony Run Road. Chester County planners describe the project as occupying 67.9 acres, with 30.72 acres designated as open space.
No final approval has been granted. The conditional-use hearing opened Aug. 20 but was continued before AQ Dev began presenting witness testimony.
The township Planning Commission has recommended denial of the application in its current form, saying unresolved issues prevent it from determining whether the proposal satisfies ordinance requirements.
Commission member Elaine Milito identified questions involving property ownership, sewer and water service, stormwater management, streams and riparian buffers, roadway access, circulation and transferable development rights.
“At this stage, we believe that burden has not been met,” Milito said during the Aug. 20 hearing.
The Chester County Planning Commission raised a separate set of concerns in an Aug. 4 review, including emergency access during major flooding, protection of the historic farmhouse and related structures, permanent preservation of the proposed open space and the requested waiver from widening Stony Run Road.
County planners also identified inconsistencies within the submitted materials. Different plan sheets showed either 53 or 41 lots, while documents contained conflicting information about sewer service.
Environmental issues have become another focus of the review because the property drains toward Stony Run, which is designated a High Quality waterway.
The township Environmental Advisory Council has questioned whether the applicant can use the township’s open-space design option without presently available public sewer service. Its July 20 statement also raised concerns about possible headwater streams, riparian buffers, hydric soils and the location and performance of stormwater basins.
EAC Chair Molly Wagle reiterated those concerns when the hearing opened Aug. 20 and recommended against two stormwater-related waivers referenced in project materials.
AQ Dev attorney Charlie Gerbron told supervisors the applicant expects to demonstrate that the tract can accommodate what he characterized as a relatively modest development of 52 new homes while retaining the existing farmhouse.
Gerbron also noted that the property previously received conditional-use approvals for a 53-lot proposal in 2023 and a 50-lot plan in 2004. Township Solicitor Joe Clement, however, identified the status of an expired prior conditional-use plan among the matters requiring clarification in the current proceeding.
Clement also raised questions about ownership of the two parcels, the proposed reliance on public sewer, and documentation supporting the applicant’s transferable development rights calculation. Gerbron indicated those issues would be addressed through testimony and evidence.
The applicant is seeking approval under the township’s open-space design provisions and proposes using transferable development rights. Both parcels are in the Low Density Residential District.
Opposition is also participating formally in the proceeding. Supervisors granted party status to East Vincent Advocacy and several neighboring property owners.
Carl Ewald, representing East Vincent Advocacy, said the resident organization plans to challenge whether the proposal satisfies requirements involving sewer and water service, stormwater, streams, riparian buffers, traffic and emergency access.
Neighbor Bill Fields focused on drainage and groundwater conditions, telling supervisors the surrounding area is particularly wet and expressing concern that additional impervious surfaces could increase runoff affecting nearby properties, including his pond across from the development.
Supervisors ultimately postponed the applicant’s direct testimony after the township engineer was unable to attend because of a personal matter. The board determined the engineer should be present for that portion of the proceeding.
The conditional-use hearing is scheduled to resume Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Vincent Township Municipal Complex.
Project documents and township information are available at https://www.eastvincent.org/index.asp?SEC=1F17BA9C-729B-4213-9A21-A433A79C78E6.
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