Commentary

Earlier this week, Commissioner Drew Sharkey issued a Wawa update via Facebook that clearly shows how tightly ill-considered zoning code ties his hands behind his back. Cheltenham can’t take all the blame. It shares the same predicament as every suburban community desperate for any extra tax dime promised by sprawl developments. His township is legally hamstrung by the failure to recognize the true costs automobile-based development as codified in township ordinance, and Bruce Goodman knows this.  

Much like the monorail salesman in the classic Simpson’s episode, Bruce Goodman’s song and dance is mesmerizing hapless Cheltenham residents under inordinate financial pressure from rising taxes. One can readily argue that such take hikes represents a tragic failure of governance. Towns (like businesses) die because of bad management. Bad things may happen to them, but the quality of leadership becomes plainly evident in the response. 

Around the country, declining cities respond to their predicaments with the easy fix. Casinos, ball parks, convention centers are but a few classic, money-losing examples. Short of that, municipalities will offer tax increment financing (TIF) deals to attract bargain basement developments to help cover looming deficits. Or they will completely ignore the obvious economic burdens placed upon them by auto-based developments like this one.

Cheltenham is apparently just that desperate and it’s sad that Commissioner Sharkey feels the need to butter up Bruce Goodman, a developer seemingly incapable of building a second floor, and accept with a straight face his plans to put lipstick on this pig. 

Remember: The 16,000 square foot building at the corner of Keswick and Easton occupied by the Keswick Tavern and Gerhard’s generates about the same amount of tax revenue as the 70,000 square foot lot Goodman will waste. That simple math should show any thinking person who cares about their community the true cost of sprawl. 

Glenside deserves better, but only if it finally demands it.