Ardmore Citizens Coalition Continues Fight Against Development

ARDMORE, PA -- A court previously approved Dranoff Properties development of the Cricket Avenue parking lot into mixed use businesses and luxury homes, but the citizens group fighting the development is not backing down.

The Save Ardmore Coalition says that they have merely lost the first round of their fight.

“It’s not over until we say it’s over,” the group said on Facebook.

>>Controversial Ardmore Development Approved

The Coalition continued to rally supporters through December and into January to fight the development which they say would increase traffic and take away valuable parking spaces.

The Coalition had protested Dranoff’s development in Commonweatlh Court because they planned on using $10.5 million in state funds originally earmarked for public transit projects.

President Judge Dan Pellegrini dismissed those claims that funds had been misappropriated, however, claiming that the money was always meant for more than just the Ardmore train station.

Grants for the project are due to expire in April 2016, and opponents of the development were hoping to stall the project until then.

Save Ardmore fired back that the train station was in need of help, just like local parking lots.

“The scene at Ardmore Train Station this morning: run down, and standing room only,” they said in a Facebook post. “But the township would rather spend $10.5 million intended for public transit on luxury apartments because nobody takes public transit, right?”

Save Ardmore also believes that there is political momentum on their side.

Today I received some good news. I have been told by a reliable source that Governor Wolf might reconsider the RACP funding for the Dranoff Project if he is absolutely certain that our State Representative and Senator support rescission of the funding. State Representative Greg Vitali has always opposed state funding, but State Senator Daylin Leach has not publicly stated his position. Please contact State Senator Daylin Leach to let him know that Governor Wolf should reverse course and cancel the RACP grant to millionaire developer, Carl Dranoff. It is shameless that while school district across the state are forced to borrow money and non-profits are closing because of the loss of funding, the State is financing the construction of a luxury apartment building in Lower Merion Township.