A big night in Middletown

Tonight is the night in Middletown.

This is the night when the township holds a much-anticipated public hearing on the controversial plan to develop the old Franklin Mint site alogn Baltimore Pike.

Developers see a “walkable community,” complete with retails shops, office space, residential units and a hotel.

Opponents see a nightmare, a monster project they have dubbed “the city” and which they claim will forever change the nature of their community.

They might be right about that.

It’s already changed the tenor of the discussion.

This thing has gotten downright ugly, with opponents of the project using some fairly colorful language to describe both the developers and their plan for more than 1,200 residences, along with retail and office space.

Only one thing is certain. Don’t expect a thumb’s up or down on the project tonight. This thing likely will go over several sessions. No specific ruling is expected tonight.

We’ll be there to bring you everything that happens, along with video of much of the key testimony.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Phil, What's this "great opportunity to create...a sense of place," developer/township resident Mark Dambly espouses? Middletown has always had a sense of place to this Havertown resident: Linvilla Orchard, Fair Acres, Granite Run Mall, High Meadow community, etc.
Creating this gargantuan commercial, business and residential development will create a traffic nightmare of unsurpassed proportions that will make the Schuylkill Expressway "parking lot" and Blue Route Bottleneck look like the Indianapolis Speedway.
Besides the present rush-hour traffic jams, have you ever been caught in the standstill they had with the Antique/Classic Car Show at the Mint?
Baltimore Pike, Routes 352 (cloverleaf) and 452 will never be able to adequately handle the traffic such a massive development will create.