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City OKs plans for The Flats – The Daily Local News : Serving Chester County

This is a view of The Flats at the former G.O. Carlson metal polishing facility off Lincoln Highway. Staff photo by Amy Dragoo

COATESVILLE — City council unanimously approved both projects for The Flats Monday night — Chetty Builders’ proposed 98 townhome development and Mosaic Development Partners planned shopping center.

Prior to the vote on Mosaic’s plan, City Councilman Ed Simpson bluntly told the audience how difficult it has been to attract developers to the site.

“People are not banging down the door. This property has been put out to bid at least twice over the last six years and no one has stepped forward with a plan,” said Simpson.

City Manager Harry Walker agreed.

“Over the last three years, the Redevelopment Authority put together a request for qualified developers and a request for proposals and from that we got one developer. We negotiated for nine months and they were unwilling to pay anything for The Flats,” Walker said.

Mosaic is paying $2 million for the southern half of the 26-acre former G.O. Carlson site just north of West Lincoln Highway and west of Route 82 next to the Brandywine Creek.

Council President Marty Eggleston said he has been one of the biggest skeptics of Chetty Builders.

“We finally go the information we asked for,” Eggleston said following the vote.

Councilwoman Patsy Ray echoed Eggleston’s comments.

“I’m not a big fan of Chetty, but after looking at the research. We need to bring something to Coatesville. One project comes, others will follow,” said Ray.

While Chetty did not give a presentation Monday of his project, the principal owners of Mosaic, Leslie Smallwood-Lewis and Gregory Reaves, presented a plan called Stone Bridge Crossings for the site.

The biggest attraction is a proposed Fresh Grocer supermarket for the site. Officials from Fresh Grocer had visited Coatesville and were interested. One reason for that, said Small-Lewis, is that the company already has a lender for the $26 million project — the nonprofit, Philadelphia-based company Re-Investment Fund.

Simpson questioned the developer what would happen if they got control of the land and were not successful.

With the approval, the developer will give a deposit but there won’t be a deed to the land transferred to them.

“If we find that this doesn’t work, the land will go back to the RDA,” said Smallwood-Lewis.

Many residents who spoke during the public comment period before the vote were suspicious of Mosaic. One citizen said the company had no proven track record and urged council to wait for another developer. Supportive of Chetty Builders were several residents, including Nancy Potts, who lives at Millview, one of Chetty’s developments.

“I want to put my support behind Mr. Chetty,” Potts said, then added that residents at Millview have been waiting years for him to finish the development.

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