Dear Zoning Hearing Board of Haverford Township,

We, the undersigned, urge you to not approve the relief requested by Sun Raj Fuel LLC in Zoning Hearing Board in Case Z23-17. The addition of a convenience store to the gasoline service station at 700 Haverford Road will be detrimental to the public welfare.

First and foremost, we are concerned about the safety of the five-point intersection at Buck Lane, Haverford Road, and West Avenue. This intersection is along a stretch of Haverford Road which, based on data collected over multiple years, has been designated by PennDOT as among the most dangerous in the Commonwealth.

The intersection is particularly dangerous given is location, its layout, and its heavy utilization by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists:

• It is at a five-point intersection with traffic signals for only four of the directions;
• It is immediately after the blind curve on Haverford Road for motorists headed southeast along Haverford Road;
• It is immediately after a blind hill on Buck Lane for motorists headed northeast on Buck Lane;
• It is the only signaled intersection where pedestrians can cross Haverford Road between Landover Road and College Avenue;
• It is the closest signaled intersection to the Haverford Station of the NHSL for passengers to get to and from the station;
• It is the intersection where one of the only designated bike routes in Haverford Township starts.

Currently, with 700 Haverford Road having only a single use as a gasoline service station, patrons entering and exiting 700 Haverford Road face numerous challenges. The parcel is a fraction of the size of what is required by the township zoning code for a gas station. The spacing is inadequate between the building and pumps, between adjacent pumps, and between the pumps and road. Even with the single use, the site is often congested and difficult to maneuver. With the added convenience store use and the potential of an additional six cars entering and exiting the property every five to ten minutes, these challenges will only be increase.

Finally, we would like to ask the Zoning Hearing Board to consider the fact that the community is already well-served by other retail locations. The Wawa in Bryn Mawr is half of a mile away, the Acme in Bryn Mawr and both 7-Elevens in Bryn Mawr are less than one mile away, and the 7-Eleven in Ardmore is only slightly more than one mile away. Another convenience store would bring little to the community.

The addition of a convenience store to the 700 Haverford Road will make an already dangerous intersection even more dangerous. By jeopardizing the safety of all users of this intersection – motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, alike – it will indisputably be detrimental to the public welfare.

Respectfully,

The undersigned.