On November 26th Judge Thomas C. Branca of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas dismissed the appeal made by the Friends of Abolition Hall in regards to the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors granting of a conditional use to allow townhomes to be constructed on the Abolition Hall property.

The Friends of Abolition Hall fought the development of townhouses on the Abolition Hall property as the developer, K. Hovnanian Homes, went through the approval process. If you are not familiar, Abolition Hall is located within the Plymouth Meeting Historic District and served as a stop on the Underground Railroad and was the center of the abolition movement locally. The Friends of Abolition Hall’s concern is the development’s impact on the historic structures on the property.

The Friends of Abolition Hall has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Commonwealth Court.

Sydelle Zove, the convener of the Friends of Abolition Hall, responded to our inquiry about whether it will appeal. She stated:

We have yet to decide, but certainly, it is an option. We must determine how best to deploy available resources. The homestead deserves a better plan—better for the historic resources, better for the natural resources, better for all of us who live here. Developers come and go, but we will be stuck with what they leave behind. Perhaps more importantly is what they have taken, never to be returned. We will not be silenced no matter how we proceed.

More to come.