You comment on this at the end of the article.
A filled-to-capacity crowd at Merion Tribute House on Tuesday night (February 13) listened to representatives from Main Line Health (MLH) make a pitch for what they are calling a “Wellness Village,” to be built on the former property of St. Charles Seminary. Members of Merion, Short Ridge, and Indian Creek Civic Associations, as well as a group called Seminary Neighbors, heard the presentation and were almost unanimously, enthusiastically opposed to the plan in its current form.
The proposal that MLH presented includes:
- A 400,000-square-foot outpatient facility (which is 1.5 times the size of all of Penn At Radnor
- A mix of independent, assisted living, and memory care units.
- A boutique hotel
- Condominiums, townhouses and rental units
- 5 miles of walk/bike trails
- A shopping center with 20,000 square feet of retail
There was a consensus among the residents that the MLH plan is a massive, for-profit development wrapped in the veneer of a healthcare facility. However, according to MLH, limiting the project to just the senior living and outpatient facilities would not be economically viable.
One resident pointed out that what MLH wants to build at St. Charles will be comparable in size and density to the entire borough of Narberth. None of the spokespersons from the hospital group contradicted her claim.
When asked why more of the new facilities couldn’t be built on Lankenau’s existing property, the residents were told that was impossible because the hospital had already agreed with neighbors on that side of Lancaster Avenue, to leave the open space as it exists today.
MLH has submitted a request to Lower Merion Township to pass an ordinance that would create a new Zoning Class, a “Wellness Village.” Without the passage of such an ordinance it will be virtually impossible for MLH to build anything close to what they are proposing at St. Charles.
Disclosure
The author’s home is adjacent to the former seminary.
Your title is misleading. Exactly “who” was underwhelmed, other than yourself..
What would you like to see done with this property?
While I think there are some issues to be resolved, in general it seems that this is a workable solution to a property with restricted usage.
Were you at the Merion Tribute House on Tuesday night?
It’s a big site (72 acres), but it is less than 25% of the size of Narberth.
I think the comparison was being based on the number of people either living there, or commuting to and from or visiting the property every day.
It’s an extremely large property. What would people be willing to accept.?
The proposal would require major zoning changes. Including new definition to open space to be same as impervious cover. The presentation was misleading. Very low contrast images made it difficult to see size of proposed buildings. No elevation drawings. Renderings highlighted greenery with strategically selected perspectives. No images about the proposed building that would have around 1000 units. And commercial and medical offices (400,000 sf medical alone!). No cars on the roads- which is never the case.