Who We Are
Over the past year, you may have seen the “Save Devon–Don’t Rezone”, and “Responsible Zoning for Berwyn” lawn signs in front of many of our homes.
We are a completely nonpartisan or bipartisan group of concerned citizens who have come together in response to recent zoning and development proposals in Easttown Township. We are united around these simple points:
- We do not want development of the large box, 100-plus unit apartment buildings to spring up in Devon or Berwyn the way they already have done in King of Prussia, Exton, and Newtown Square. They are not needed in Easttown, and are out of character with the historic development patterns in our township.
- We support the zoning districts and requirements in the 2008 Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of Easttown.
- We support the goals and terms of the "Township's Comprehensive Plan” adopted in 2018, which calls for preserving green and open space, protecting the historic character of the Devon and Berwyn neighborhoods, keeping building heights low and improving pedestrian and bicycle circulation.
- We oppose zoning changes and variances being proposed to benefit individual developers or developments that are contrary to the existing zoning and to the Comprehensive Plan. We don’t believe in granting favors to individual developers who refuse to follow the rules.
- We believe that township officials– the elected Board of Supervisors and the appointed Planning Commission and township staff- should be responsive to and respectful of the views of the citizens of the township on these matters. We believe in open, transparent government when information is promptly and easily available to the public.
Many of us came together beginning in 2016 in connection with the “Devon Yard” project on the site of the former Waterloo Gardens property in Devon. The proposal originally called for a five-story, 60-foot-tall, 135 unit apartment building with a 240 car parking garage. Through our efforts, the developer withdrew that part of the project, and built the smaller scale retail portion which we supported. Many others got involved over proposals in the Village of Berwyn for a similar, massive apartment and parking garage project on the site of the Handel’s ice cream store, known as “Berwyn Square”.
We have been involved in an ongoing study of “Devon Center” which began in 2019, and have participated in the meetings of the Devon Center Task Force and the Planning Commission on proposed zoning changes in Devon.
Some of us have lived here for 30, 40, or 50 or more years. Some are second generation Easttown residents. Many others have moved here in the past several years, and chose to move to Easttown because of its unique character and ambiance.
We are business people, teachers, nurses, attorneys, financial advisers, artists, writers, and homemakers. We are retirees and young families with children. Together we have more than a thousand person years in Easttown.
We ask you to join us in our efforts to preserve Easttown, united around the above principles.
