The Selling of East Vincent

The zoning petition now before the Planning Commission represents one of the most egregious attempts by a landowner to flaunt against the will of the residents of East Vincent in her long history.

Seemingly without faith in the EVT Zoning Hearing Board’s May 2011 decision being upheld by the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, the landowner, Richard Chakejian, is trying to subvert the legal system by petitioning for a change to just his property within the LR zone that includes the former Pennhurst Hospital, as well as land owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Military Affairs, the Owen J. Roberts school system and East Vincent itself.

The introductory letter joining the petition submitted by Mr. Chakejian’s attorney, Michael Murray, Esq., states: “Due to the Property’s location, condition of existing structures, and buildings…and environmental conditions, the Property is not conducive for development with Single Family Residential uses …”

Further, Mr. Murray continues: “…the Property…would be more appropriately utilized to be redeveloped for the uses permitted in the General Industrial and the Professional Office / Research district…”

No plan describing a possible redevelopment scenario was submitted to the Township. In essence, Mr. Chakejian wants East Vincent to change the zoning of his property so that he can do anything with it he wants, regardless of any appropriateness to the surrounding residential area. And for insurance, the following new use by right is included: LL – Recreation Building, including but not limited to use for entertainment, historical and amusement-oriented tours and events, such as but not limited to a haunted house and other theme-oriented uses.

At last month’s PC meeting, the Commissioners seemed to agree to a one that the road network leading to Pennhurst is not able to handle the traffic that would result from the alleged development of the commercial nature that would be permitted by the petitioned change.

Also, they spoke of the long-standing analysis of the “724 corridor” and how any changes to the Pennhurst property must be considered in a global sense.

Is all of that to be left behind in order to let the opportunistic Mr. Chakejian operate his haunted house attraction? Because if any casual observer examined the real issue at hand, what truly matters to the property owner is the Asylum – an extraordinary cash cow that wreaks havoc for seven weeks upon those living near Pennhurst, and, determined by the EVT Zoning Hearing Board, can now operate all year round.

By approving the exploitive zoning change, the Planning Commission and the BOS would be signing East Vincent’s death warrant. By allowing the continuing carpet bagging of Richard Chakejian, who by the way lives in WEST Vincent, our lifestyle, as we know it disappears forever.

This is the desperate desire of the current and soon to be retiring Board Chairman, John Funk. It is his intent to leave what he believes to be a legacy of creating rateables and ensuring East Vincent’s future financial stability. What his myopic vision will actually leave behind is the utter destruction of what is our home. The place where our children grow up in safety and away from the problems of urbanization.

I fear the time has come to take off the gloves. To call things as they appear. To let the citizens of East Vincent see that they are being sold out for a 1,000 daffodil bulbs. To scream as loudly as I can that changing Pennhurst to a new GI/PO will not bring about any sustainable value driven changes. It will simply let Mr. Chakejian continue with his Pennhurst Asylum “amusement” at the cost of everything we hold dear. And bear in mind that if this change is approved, it will apply to the Jones site as well.

Our township could boast of a mini-Great Adventure in the Jones 186 acres. Dorney Park is 200 acres. Hershey Park is 110 acres growing to 140 acres. The Magic Kingdom in Orlando is 107 acres. EPCOT is a little over 300 acres, much of which is the lake.

I invite any resident who thinks this is bombast to visit the Penn Organics commercial composting site. See for yourself how a Chakejian business is operated. See how pre-compost material and finished compost material is placed against old, stately buildings accelerating their demise.

See the missing windows and roofs with holes large enough to drop a car through. Demolition by neglect is the technical term, a violation of ordinance.

Understand that the site is riddled, by Mr. Chakejian’s own words, with asbestos and PCBs. Yes, Mr. Murray is correct when he refers to environmental conditions that preclude residential development. One must ask how that would not apply to any commercial development.

Come to Pennhurst Road, Brown Drive, and Old Schuylkill Road, and Church Street in Spring City, and judge for yourself as to the capacity and appropriateness of those feeders.

While the Asylum in is operation, go to the Wawa on Bridge and sit in the parking lot for a few minutes and watch the pandemonium at the Jones site being used as parking for the “amusement”. Then stay there until 1:30 – 3:00 AM and watch the continuing parade of buses bringing patrons out of Pennhurst and to their cars.

Here are some consequences of the approval of this zoning change:

We will see this year, as we did last year, bonfires lit on the Pennhurst site in absolute violation of East Vincent’s open fires ordinance.

We will again hear live bands and the raucous noise from the amplified radio station presence, helping to market the “amusement”.

We will see large-scale food kiosks come to feed and nourish the patrons standing on line for 3-4 hours as they await their 15-20 minute “amusement”.

We will hear diesel buses running on Brown Drive and Bridge Street until 3:00 AM or later ferrying Asylum attendees from the “amusement” to their cars.

We will see T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other merchandise sold to additionally line Mr. Chakejian’s pockets with no value to East Vincent since it does not benefit from sales tax.

We will again have beer cans in our yards and Asylum patrons urinating on our lawns at all hours.

We will again watch this “amusement” drain our township police services – at the resident’s expense, for while Pennhurst Asylum grossed $985,000 last year, East Vincent has no amusement tax to compensate us.

We will see Spring City memorialized, as the home of what Chakejian’s Pennhurst Asylum business partner, Randy Bates, says will be the premier haunted house attraction on the East Coast.

And what if, as the proposed ordinance would allow, the property is split up into individual 3-acre subdivisions? What other menacing commercial “amusements” would come about playing off of the Asylum?

Mr. Chakejian is holding interviews for actors and has be seen driving around town in a PT Cruiser that has Pennhurst Asylum logos affixed to its body. As I have been accused of having, what hubris!

Now is the time to say “NO!” Now is the time for East Vincent to come together and stop this madness. Mark Dunphy has said to me that he will not permit any residential development at that site. John Funk believes that commercial ventures will add to East Vincent’s treasury with no proof offered by him. This is what we are up against. They did it last week. They’ll do it again.

For God’s sake tell them all “NO!”

Attend the Planning Commission meeting and say “NO!”