Radnor Township Planning Commission Meeting Summary – October 6, 2026

The Radnor Township Planning Commission met on October 6, 2026, to review a sketch plan from Sacred Heart School, consider a zoning hearing board (ZHB) application from Waverly Senior Services for a life care residence at 452 South Roberts Road, discuss the Vision for Wayne draft master plan, and consider a proposed data center ordinance amendment. The Commission unanimously approved the data center ordinance with comments, took no action on the Sacred Heart sketch plan, and made no recommendation on the Waverly application after a motion to recommend approval of the special exception failed for lack of a second.

Note on the record: The agenda supplied with these records is dated September 8, 2026, and lists wireless antenna applications that are not discussed in the transcript; the transcript instead references approval of September 8 minutes and upcoming October 12 and October 15 hearings. This summary uses the October 6, 2026 meeting date and flags discrepancies where relevant.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes: The Commission unanimously approved the meeting minutes. The agenda identifies the minutes as the August 3, 2026 minutes; the transcript states the September 8, 2026 minutes were approved — a discrepancy.

Discussion Items

Sacred Heart School Sketch Plan – 480 South Brynmore Avenue

• David Falcone presented on behalf of Sacred Heart School, joined by Head of School Robin Nolan and engineer Jeremy Mazars of Chester Valley Engineers. The Commission treated the item as an informational sketch plan; no vote was taken.
• Proposal: conversion of one of the two existing athletic fields (the northern field) to an artificial-turf multi-purpose field (330 by 160 feet); a roughly 720 sq ft vestibule entry addition to the gymnasium; a roughly 5,000 sq ft telatorium/chapel addition; a roughly 600 sq ft environmental learning gazebo along the stream; and 10 additional parking spaces created by switching from parallel to angle parking.
• Nolan said the projects serve the existing student body, with no intention to grow enrollment, and defined a telatorium as an auditorium with audio/visual capabilities for virtual and distance learning.
• The applicant stated that any zoning relief would be requested in later applications, and that two neighbor outreach meetings had been held, with one resident attending one meeting and none attending the second.
• Commissioner questions and concerns: steep slope disturbance was not quantified (the applicant said it would be de minimis and that it was too early to state whether the slopes are man-made); the telatorium/chapel addition and the parking area would extend existing nonconforming setback and parking conditions; no preliminary parking analysis had been completed and prior record plans were unavailable; roughly 6-8 foot retaining walls (preliminary) are planned around the turf field to minimize slope disturbance. The Shade Tree Commission liaison noted that tree removals and plantings will be reviewed by the Shade Tree Commission.

Zoning Hearing Board Appeal 3275 – 452 South Roberts Road (Waverly Senior Services)

• Attorney Jamie John presented for Waverly Senior Services, joined by Mark Heil (Vice President of Campus Development, Waverly Heights), Chris Pazinus of Polar Engineering, and Carson Parr of RLPS Architects. The applicant will appear before the ZHB on October 15, 2026.
• The applicant seeks a special exception for a life care residence in the PI (Planned Institutional) district, plus three dimensional variances: steep slope disturbance, building height (from the 38-foot limit to 45 feet), and building width/depth (facades longer than 160 feet).
• The applicant argued the life care residence would have a lesser impact than uses permitted by right in the PI district (such as colleges, dormitories, and residential halls), stated that a traffic study is being prepared to show impacts lower than uses permitted by right, and said the variances would allow use of existing driveways, retention of existing buildings, reduced grading and retaining walls, and mansard roofs that conceal rooftop mechanical equipment.
• Nine three-story buildings would exceed the height limit; two buildings (Building A and Building B) would exceed the 160-foot building length limit. Steep slope disturbance was not quantified; the disturbed slopes are mostly 15-25 percent, with some over 25 percent, and the applicant believes the majority are man-made based on a right-to-know request that found no approved grading records.
• The EMS substation remains under discussion with the township and is not part of the special exception application, since a municipal use is permitted in all zoning districts.
• Commissioner concerns included the lack of quantified steep slope data, the absence of three-dimensional renderings or viewshed studies (a resident had previously presented alternative elevations), the project density, the absence of heritage tree preservation details, a perceived lack of a sense of place, and site visit observations that the property sits at the site's highest point and falls away toward neighboring properties.
• In response to public legal challenges, the Commission's solicitor disagreed, stating that the proposed use falls under Section 280-68, resembles other approved continuing-care applications in Radnor, and would be the 21st-century equivalent of a nursing home. The solicitor also advised that the Planning Commission is not required to make a recommendation and that declining to comment has no impact on the ZHB proceeding.

Vision for Wayne / Wayne Business Overlay District Master Plan

• The draft master plan for downtown Wayne has been released. Written comments were due by the close of the meeting date (October 6, 2026) via the email address given as 'Vision for Wayne comments at Radner.org.' The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the draft on Monday, October 12, 2026.

Data Center Ordinance Amendment

• Ms. Donovan presented a proposed ordinance to regulate data centers by conditional use approval only in the PLO (Planned Laboratory and Office) district. No data centers are currently proposed; the amendment is intended to be preemptive.
• The next steps are referral to the Delaware County Planning Commission for review and then consideration by the Board of Commissioners at its first November meeting, believed to be November 12, 2026.
• Commissioner comments described the ordinance as thorough and 'soup to nuts,' appropriately scaled for small facilities (an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 sq ft) rather than hyperscale data centers. Suggestions included defining sensitive receptors (schools, daycares, hospitals, residences) with additional setbacks or buffering; establishing a decommissioning bond standard (such as 110 percent of decommissioning cost minus residual value, with periodic engineer review); and reconsidering prescriptive solar requirements in favor of an energy efficiency study. One commissioner asked whether the broad solar panel requirements are unique; Ms. Donovan responded that similar requirements have been seen elsewhere.
• A motion to approve the proposed data center ordinance with the Commission's comments was seconded by Commissioner Kunda and passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ken LaFiandra (798 Woodley Road): Challenged whether a life care residence qualifies as a permitted similar institution under Section 280-68 of the zoning code, arguing the PI exception was intended to preserve existing estates, not to allow what he characterized as a '350-person apartment complex' in a residential area. He cited prior failed attempts to change the property, argued the application does not meet the general standards of Section 280-45B regarding consistency with the character of surrounding development, and said residents nearly universally consider the project damaging to the area.
• Lynn LaFiandra (798 Woodley Road): Said the property is at roughly 433 feet elevation, so a 38-foot building would peak near 471 feet and a 45-foot building near 477 feet, making it visible throughout the township; asked that the proposed walking trail not be open to the public because of safety and privacy concerns for 25 homes on the property perimeter; opposed placing an EMS station in a quiet neighborhood; requested a traffic study; and suggested the property could become a park if the Waverly project does not proceed.
• Ed Soto (Mainline Classical Academy, 455 South Roberts Road, directly across the street): Expressed concern about additional traffic on top of the school's existing 8-9 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. traffic, construction impacts on children who are outdoors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and stormwater runoff affecting the downhill school.
• Lee Hopkins (Portland's Drive): Questioned whether the property's zoning ever properly changed from R1 with an exception to planned institutional, said Roberts Road is narrow, hilly, and lacks pedestrian access, and called the proposed EMS station 'a terrible idea.'
• Ken LaFiandra (second appearance): Presented documents dated 1995 and 1997 (a denial by Michael Flag and a withdrawal by Lauren Preheim) and asserted the township has no record of a successful conversion to PI zoning, arguing the burden is on Radnor Township to produce such documentation before the October 15 hearing.
• Dr. Constable (physician): Opposed the project, describing a 20-minute commute over 1.5 miles on Bryn Mawr Avenue caused by previously approved developments, characterizing the proposal as a '700-person residency' (a figure not stated by the applicant), and asking whether residents have any rights to reject large institutional developments.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved unanimously (with an agenda/transcript discrepancy noted).
• Sacred Heart School sketch plan: informational only; no vote. The applicant is expected to return with a formal submission, quantified grading and steep slope data, a parking analysis, and tree and landscape plans.
• Waverly ZHB appeal: a motion to recommend approval of the special exception failed for lack of a second; the Commission made no recommendation on the special exception or the variances. The ZHB hearing remains scheduled for October 15, 2026.
• Data center ordinance: approved unanimously with comments; will be referred to the Delaware County Planning Commission and then to the Board of Commissioners (believed November 12, 2026).
• Vision for Wayne: written comments were due October 6, 2026; the Board of Commissioners public hearing is October 12, 2026.