Haverford Township Commissioners hope a new comprehensive plan passed Monday night will create a downtown for the township, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
It calls for redeveloping the Eagle Road corridor, allowing mixed-use buildings, like apartments, over storefronts.
“This plan looks back at 30 years of our township and our neighborhoods and comes up with an idea and a blueprint of what we can do better,” Haverford commissioner Larry Holmes said.
The goal is to create a village vibe, with wider sidewalks and relocating parking lots to the rear of buildings to make the business area more pedestrian-friendly.
Not everyone was convinced. Some, like Lee Molineaux, manager at the Head Nut on Haverford Road, believe it would impact quiet neighborhoods with more traffic and pollution.
Other residents, like Dory Doughty, worry that redevelopment will change the township’s character.
“It’s making it into a city, and I’m really unhappy about it,” she said.
The board plans to address resident concerns while also allowing businesses to benefit.
“We’re proud to have adopted Haverford Township’s first Comprehensive Plan in nearly 40 years – a long-overdue, community-driven framework to help guide our future,” said Judy Trombetta, president of the Haverford Township Board of Commissioners.
Find out about what comes next at CBS News Philadelphia.
