Penn Township Board of Supervisors Public Hearing The Finnen Community Room

Penn Township

Board of Supervisors Public Hearing

The Finnen Community Room

260 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA 19390

Wednesday, April 6, 2016 @ 6:00 p.m.
Official Attendees:
Curtis Mason, Chairman

Victor Mantegna, Vice-Chairman

William Kenneth Bryson, Jr., Supervisor

Jay Ennis, Supervisor

William O’Connell, Supervisor
R. Samuel McMichael, Esq., Penn Township Solicitor

J. Kenneth Butera, Esq., Penn Township Attorney
Stanley J. Wolowski, Esq., Flaherty & O’Hara, Giant Attorney

Josh Erb, Applicant’s Witness, Giant Manager of Special Projects
William Handy, Court Reporter
Karen Versuk, Penn Township Director of Operations
Public Attendees:
William A. Finnen, resident and former Supervisor, 150 Sunnyside Road, West Grove, PA
Purpose: Public Hearing to Request an Inter-Municipal Transfer of a Liquor License into Penn Township, Chester County, PA from Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, PA for GIANT Food Stores, LLC, 849 W. Baltimore Pike, West Grove, PA 19390 for the purpose of operating a restaurant inside a remodeled grocery store. The restaurant would sell beer for consumption and “to go”.
Vice Chair Victor Mantegna opened the Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at

5:00 p.m. at the Township Building located at 260 Lewis Road, West Grove, Pennsylvania Chester County. Vice Chair Mantegna stated that the purpose of the meeting is to consider

a request for an Inter-Municipal Transfer of a Liquor License into Penn Township, Chester County, PA from Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, PA for GIANT Food Stores, LLC, 849 W. Baltimore Pike, West Grove, PA 19390 for the purpose of operating a restaurant inside a remodeled grocery store. The restaurant would sell beer for consumption and “to go”.

Board Chair Curtis Mason read a letter to be included as part of the official record abstaining from voting on the request. He asked that the letter be included in the official minutes. He then turned the meeting over to the Township’s Solicitors, R. Samuel McMichael and J. Kenneth Butera.

Township Solicitor R. Samuel McMichael presented the exhibits for the township including:

B1: the Application, B2: the letter of recusal by Board Chair Curtis Mason, B3: Proof of Publication, B4: U.S. Census Bureau Penn Township, Chester County, PA population report from 2014, B5: official notices to the current liquor license holders in Penn Township, Chester County, PA including 2SP Brewing and Bar Rail, LLC. He announced that the Board would recess after the hearing to Executive Session prior to the Regular Supervisor’s meeting at 6 p.m., and that Chair Mason would abstain from that meeting as well.

Giant Solicitor Stanley Wolowski, Esq. presented one exhibit A1: Giant Store Floor Plan and one witness, Josh Erb, Manager of Special Projects for Giant Foods. Mr. Wolowski discussed the application, the reasons for it, the Pa Liquor Code with regard to it, the plan for the restaurant, and how the Giant plans to control the liquor sales.
Solicitor Butera asked several questions including the proposed hours of operations for beer sales. Mr. Erb responded they would be open 7 to 10 Monday through Saturday and 9 to 10 on Sunday.
Resident Finnen voiced an opinion against the liquor license transfer referencing the township’s Quaker roots, the parking issues at the Shoppes of Jenner’s Village, and the current existence of two licenses already.
The Board, except for Supervisor Mason, chose to recess to Executive Session briefly to ask procedural questions of the Solicitors. Upon their return, Vice Chair Mantegna made a motion to close the hearing. Seconded by Supervisor Bryson. Supervisor Mason abstained. Supervisors Ennis and O’Connell voted in favor of closing the hearing. The motion was approved 4-0.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen Versuk, Director of Operations