Annie Thorne for Edgmont Township Supervisor

Annie’s Thoughts on the Issues

I’ve done my homework: I’ve read the Township Code, reviewed draft resolutions, attended numerous conditional use hearings, and provided feedback on other townships’ comprehensive plan updates at the request of the Planning Commission chair. I am ready to work hard for Edgmont and make smart decisions that will benefit our entire community.

I will bring a fresh perspective and new energy to Edgmont’s Board of Supervisors, where I pledge to:

• Ensure services and infrastructure keep pace with our growing community. Current and future growth should be accompanied by efforts to improve public safety, mitigate traffic, and find a solution for the overcrowded schools Edgmont children currently attend.
• Proactively plan to preserve open space. Edgmont must document long-term plans now so that when developers inevitably propose new projects, we are poised to maximize open space and recreation opportunities that will benefit the entire community.
• Promote more transparency in the decision-making process. I will serve as a reliable source of information for residents regarding current projects and issues in the township. I’ll ensure all matters are handled consistently and actions are justified and clearly explained.

I’ve had the privilege to speak with over 350 voters (and counting) around the township to learn which issues matter to you. Here are a few of the topics we’ve discussed:

1. Proposed Elementary School
2. Fiscal Responsibility
3. Preserving Open Space
4. Edgmont’s Zoning Ordinance
5. Lot Sizes in Edgmont’s R-1 Zoning District
6. Edgmont’s Comprehensive Plan
7. Trails and Access to Ridley Creek State Park

Proposed Elementary School

The number one question I hear from voters is “What’s going on with the school?” It’s a complicated issue. In short, Edgmont’s Board of Supervisors denied Rose Tree Media School District’s applications in February and the school district sued the township in March. No resolution has been reached as of early October.

I, like all voters I’ve spoken with around the township, am frustrated by the litigation between the school district and the township. I am disappointed the two sides were not able to find a mutually agreeable solution to address an obvious need for the benefit of our taxpayers, community, and children. I think it’s incredibly wasteful that we, the taxpayers, are now stuck in the middle.

To be clear, I supported the proposed elementary school. I authored the Community Letter of Support for the school and communicated regularly with the 180+ Edgmont residents who signed the Letter, wrote their own letters of support, and showed up at meetings to give public comment. I personally met with all three Supervisors, the school district superintendent and school board members and urged them to set differences aside and work together.

As Rose Tree Media School District taxpayers, Edgmont residents will be paying for the much-needed new elementary school no matter where in the district it’s built. However, if it is built in Edgmont, our children and our property values will directly benefit.

Because Edgmont permits schools in only a very small percentage of our township, I worried this leaves Edgmont’s zoning ordinance vulnerable to a lawsuit and I voiced this concern publicly to the Supervisors. Unfortunately, an exclusionary validity challenge is one of the exact claims the district has now made against the township.

A public elementary school like the one proposed would directly serve the residents around it while providing recreation and gathering spaces for our community. It is still my hope that someday Edgmont will get its own public elementary school and that the township will play an active role in positively shaping how this school integrates into our community.

If elected, and if the Board of Supervisors is tasked with making any future decision regarding the proposed elementary school, I would assess the pros and cons of that particular proposal while relying on the advice of the township solicitor, professionals, Planning Commission and fellow members of the Board of Supervisors to make the decision that best serves the interests of Edgmont Township.

Fiscal Responsibility

As a small business owner of an Edgmont Township business, I have 15 years of experience supervising staff, coordinating vendors and contracts, communicating with customers, and managing payroll, accounting, and budgeting. If elected, I’ll draw upon these skills to make smart, fiscally sound business decisions that will keep taxes low while maximizing the value of every dollar spent.

Preserving Open Space

I’ve lived in this area my entire life and value our green spaces and the unique character of Edgmont Township. These are not empty words. I lead Connect Edgmont, a community group dedicated to sharing my love of the outdoors and promoting appreciation of the natural and historic resources in Edgmont. Through this group I’ve developed relationships with several conservation and environmental organizations as well as elected officials at the county and state level.

Everyone wants open space, but I know it takes time, energy, and coordination to actually PRESERVE it. If elected, I will champion the cause of open space and outdoor recreation in Edgmont. I will work to ensure open space is planned for proactively, not reactively.   

I will help Edgmont document long term plans now, so when developers inevitably propose new projects, we are poised to maximize open space and recreation opportunities that will benefit the entire community.

Edgmont’s Zoning Ordinance

Since 2020, the Board of Supervisors has updated Edgmont’s Zoning Ordinance three times. Most recently, a major revision approved in October 2022 allowed for new residential and commercial uses in the commercial, light industrial and residential districts along Route 3 and created an entirely new zoning district, R-3A.

Edgmont’s Zoning Ordinance is not a static document, but care must be taken whenever the Board of Supervisors contemplates any amendment to the Ordinance, regardless of whether that amendment has been proposed by the township or by a landowner.

If elected, I will evaluate any proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment on its specific merits. I will listen to feedback from the township solicitor, Planning Commission, other members of the Board of Supervisors, and the public. I will consider whether the proposed amendment is consistent with Edgmont’s existing zoning code, which is very specific regarding its purpose (§ 365-3), and I will ensure all factors laid out in our Code’s amendment procedure are discussed in public and clearly explained to residents.

Lot Sizes in Edgmont’s R-1 Zoning District

I live in western Edgmont, and I’m in favor of maintaining the existing residential density regulations in R-1 as described in § 365-14B(1) of our Township Code. Neither I nor anyone else has proposed anything that would change these residential density regulations.

Edgmont’s Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plans serve as guidance for municipalities when future development, infrastructure and open space plans are considered. Edgmont’s Comprehensive Plan, which was last updated in 2015, lays out the township’s goals, priorities, possibilities, and areas for improvement. The plan mentions many possible projects that could benefit our community, but to date relatively few of these initiatives have been implemented.

Comprehensive Plans are intended to evolve as the needs of the community change. In fact, municipalities are required to review and update their Comprehensive Plans every 10 years. This is a good thing: our needs are not static and it’s not possible to accurately predict every new project or challenge that might occur over a 10-year period.

For example, Edgmont’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan did not anticipate the former Edgmont Country Club would be developed into the new Ventry at Edgmont Preserve neighborhood. Now we know that, by the time the 167 homes at the former Edgmont Country Club and the 249 apartments in Runnymeade are complete, Edgmont will have already doubled the growth our 2015 Comprehensive Plan anticipated we’d have by the year 2040. That’s more than twice the growth in half the time.

Edgmont’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan will need to consider the population growth from these new neighborhoods when it contemplates issues like the planning and management of utilities, target areas for improvement, enhancement of recreational opportunities, and protection of open space and natural resources.

I have closely read Edgmont’s current Comprehensive Plan (two years ago I even highlighted key sections and urged other residents to familiarize themselves with it), and I welcome the opportunity to participate in the upcoming review which is scheduled to begin in 2024.

Trails and Access to Ridley Creek State Park

Easily accessible outdoor recreation provides a community with healthy ways to enjoy natural and historic resources. In Edgmont, we are fortunate to have Ridley Creek State Park, but residents I’ve heard from are disappointed they can only legally access the park by car when many of our neighborhoods are within easy walking distance. I will help improve access to Ridley Creek State Park while respecting the rights of private property owners.

For example, an HOA on the eastern side of the township has requested assistance coordinating with DCNR, PennDOT and the township to explore the possibility of creating a new pedestrian access point to the State Park. Representatives of two other large neighborhoods have expressed similar interests.

Like any trail anywhere, theoretical future pedestrian connections in Edgmont would require proper easements and consent from all impacted landowners. There is no mechanism for putting a trail on someone’s property if they do not want it, and no one is proposing to put trails through backyards or across private property without consent.

If elected, my goal will be to help facilitate trails for those landowners and HOAs who DO want to create new paths and pedestrian connections in the township. I will also ensure any long-term plans for future connections are documented and carefully considered if a new subdivision or land development project comes before the township.