Radnor Township Board of Commissioners Meeting - March 24, 2026

An executive session on legal and real estate issues was noticed. At the start, the board announced that a video-mixer failure prevented the live cable/YouTube broadcast and the meeting was recorded for later upload. The supplied timestamp says March 24, 2026, 19:30:00 UTC; the agenda and transcript list the meeting as Monday, March 23, 2026, at 6:30 PM/6:52 PM. No minutes for this meeting were included in the source packet. The board heard two presentations, approved a consent agenda, approved the Valley Forge Military Academy right-of-first-refusal agreement, withdrew a companion condemnation ordinance, introduced several code ordinances, reappointed duty towers, and made two board/commission appointments.

Presentations

Shade Tree Commission Year End Report – Chair James Gibbons reported 2025 accomplishments including 299 trees planted, with 56 township volunteers and 90 Villanova students; a Miyawaki reforestation project at the Willows; approval of a clearing ordinance intended to discourage excessive lot clearing; review of 96 development applications; and an increase in application-completion accuracy from 61% to 84%. The commission’s 2026 goals include maintaining/expanding the 52% tree canopy, updating the recommended tree species list, planting 200 trees, and raising donations/grants; $3,000 in local business donations has been raised and a $15,750 PHS grant is pending. A Delaware County canopy assessment, completed in 2022 and published in 2025, found a 71-acre, or 1%, tree-canopy loss over a 12-year period, with 52% canopy in 2022. No formal board action was required.

Land Development Plan – 270 S. Bryn Mawr Avenue (Lume Wellness; agenda caption “Lum'ais Project”) – A co-founder of Lume Wellness presented a proposal to convert a vacant building on the Jewish Federation campus into a wellness facility. The presenter described a self-guided day-spa model combining hot and cold experiences, saunas, salt rooms, thermal pools, cold plunges, food and beverage, retail, wellness programming, and possible future lodging. He said the 11.5-acre site is under contract and would require a PI zoning change and variances; the main 60,000 sq ft building would be adaptively reused, some rear buildings demolished, and parking expanded, potentially with one level of structured parking. He forecast 250,000 visits per year, or about 685 per average day, average dwell time of 4–4.5 hours, pricing from $60 for two hours to about $150 for a full day, 150 full-time jobs at stabilization, and over $50 million in annual stabilized spa revenue, plus $15–20 million more if lodging is added. The presenter stated the company intends to preserve tree canopy, avoid water impacts, and maintain pedestrian access. Township staff said the proposal has not been officially reviewed yet; previous concerns included campus circulation, traffic/emergency access, and parking. No official land development application has been filed; if filed, review would proceed through the planning commission and/or zoning hearing board with public notice.

Consent Calendar

The board approved the consent agenda by voice vote with no public or board comment. It included: approval of the March 9, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting minutes; chief monthly reports for February and March 2026; Staff Traffic Committee minutes and status reports for January 21 and February 18, 2026; Resolution 2026-27 purchasing six Zoll AEDs and pads from AED Brands at $10,657.80 net of $1,800 trade-in of six existing police AEDs, funded from the 2026 Police/Operating Supplies budget; Resolution 2026-43 authorizing a DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant application for the Radnor Trail Extension Development Project, not to exceed $400,000; Resolution 2026-47 purchasing 70 bare-root trees and planting supplies from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, not to exceed $12,000, from the Commemorative Shade Tree Fund; Resolution 2026-46 authorizing temporary use of Mayfield Gardens for yard-waste disposal at $150 per trash-truck load and $75 per sweeper load, from the General Fund; and Resolution 2026-45 awarding the pavement-marking contract to D.E. Gemmill, Inc. for $13,862.43 from the Liquid Fuels Fund.

Public Comments & Testimony

• John Hersker and Christine Lucas, property owners on Volclane Road adjacent to the Federation campus, said neighbors enjoy pedestrian access to the campus and support its continuation. They asked for clarification that Volclane Road will remain a quiet residential street, that no through traffic or extension will be created, and that ingress/egress remain from Bryn Mawr Avenue; they also asked about emergency access from the cul-de-sac, next steps, property ownership, and the campus’s institutional zoning. Staff responded that no official land development application has been filed, that the Jewish Federation owns the campus, and that the next public opportunities would be planning commission or zoning hearing board meetings, with notice, after an application is filed; a zoning change would be part of that process.
• Craig Conley of Barley Cone Lane, Old Oaks, with his daughter Caroline, expressed strong support for the Radnor Trail extension, calling the trail highly used and hoping for further expansion.
• John Statts, owner of 128 Conestoga Road for 44 years, addressed the rental-property fee and application process. He said his two-unit property pays $140, or $70 per unit, under a fee established in 2001; he described late fees of $200 after July, about 242% of the base fee, and $300 additional after August, about 314% of the base fee. He reported forms lost or misrouted through the mail, asked for an online filing/payment system, and requested that late fees be waived until such a system is implemented. He said he had researched an existing Granicus module and offered a demo, but staff declined due to competing priorities and budget; he provided a written request.

Discussion Items

• Appointments: Jay Junior was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Board for a partial term ending December 31, 2027, and Kristin Henry was appointed to the Shade Tree Commission for a partial term ending December 31, 2028. Henry was present; Junior was not.
• Resolution 2026-44, Valley Forge Military Academy Foundation right of first refusal: The board approved a five-year right of first refusal, for $1, allowing Radnor to match any legitimate purchase offer for the remaining 33.306 acres at 1001 Eagle Road. Staff said negotiations had been ongoing since November and the agreement would be recorded; next steps include analyzing the property and continuing discussions. A commissioner called it a phenomenal next step and emphasized that eminent domain was a last resort; the board relied on VFMA’s disclosure that pre-existing contracts on the property are limited and mainly summer camps, weddings, and political or one-day events.
• Ordinance 2026-09, the eminent domain condemnation ordinance for VFMA property: After the right-of-first-refusal approval, the board voted to withdraw/cancel the ordinance, with no further need to proceed.
• Ordinance 2026-10, introduction: The board introduced an ordinance repealing the handicapped parking space at 257 Williams Road; staff explained the resident has moved, so the space is no longer needed.
• Resolution 2026-41, duty towing: The board reappointed K&S Towing, Tommy's Mainline Towing, and Saddler's Automotive as rotating duty towers for 2026–2029. New conditions include annual audits and submission of tow invoices to the police department. The spelling of Sadleir was corrected in the resolution.
• Ordinance 2026-01, introduction: Would amend the administrative code by consolidating Engineering and Community Development, revising department responsibilities, moving IT under Finance, and establishing a Fire and Rescue Department. Staff described it as codifying organizational changes and cleaning up outdated provisions.
• Ordinance 2026-05, introduction: Would readopt and revise Chapter 98, Air Pollution, and designate the Director of Engineering and Community Development as control and enforcement officer.
• Ordinance 2026-06, introduction: Would readopt the 2018 International Fire Code, update the responsible department name, and increase blasting permit bond amounts. Staff said the code had outdated provisions from earlier decades.
• Ordinance 2026-08, introduction: Would update Chapter 164, Fire Control Management, establish the Fire/EMS Chief’s authority, define officer in charge, readopt fire districts and mutual aid, prohibit interference with fire suppression, and set penalties. During discussion, a board member asked whether officer in charge needed clarification; staff explained it is a fire-service term for a supervisor. The board adopted an amendment to the Fire/EMS Chief definition so the chief has final authority on all fire and emergency medical decisions impacting Radnor Township and its citizens, subject to any required approval by the Board of Commissioners, then introduced the ordinance.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously.
• Appointments approved: Jay Junior to Parks and Recreation Board and Kristin Henry to Shade Tree Commission.
• Resolution 2026-44 approved unanimously; Ordinance 2026-09 withdrawn/cancelled unanimously.
• Ordinance 2026-10 introduced; Resolution 2026-41 approved; Ordinances 2026-01, 2026-05, 2026-06, and 2026-08 introduced, with the 2026-08 definition amendment adopted before introduction.
• No board liaison reports, new business, or old business were presented; no additional public comments were made; the meeting was adjourned.