Aerial view of the proposed site of the Shoppes at Concord.
Angelina Cappelli ‘27
REPORTER
The Shoppes at Concord is a 25-acre soon-to-be-developed property located at the corner of Route 202 and Ridge Road in Chadds Ford, across from Olde Ridge Village Shoppes and Glen Eagle Square. The proposed development will include 21 retail pads filled with a variety of stores, including fast-food and sit-down restaurants, fashion retailers, grocery stores, and fitness centers.
Concord Township gave the realtor, Pettinaro Co., the go-ahead to build the shopping center in 2018, but the company never moved forward with the development until 2024. The developer is spending between $50 to $70 million on this new center. Construction of the center is expected to start in the summer of 2025.
Along with the construction of the physical shopping center, there are plans to reconstruct Ridge Road to deal with the expected increase in traffic volume. The current development plans are to have Ridge Road widened to three lanes in each direction and extended for around a quarter-mile. All delivery and shipment trucks are also planned to enter and exit through Ridge Road. Traffic and construction issues are some of the concerns Chadds Ford residents have, especially those living in the Ridings developments. Currently, there are no traffic-alleviating measures in the plans for this development.
Some residents in the Chadds Ford area see the development of the land as a major life disruption. Sophomore and Ridings Resident Madeline Miller spoke on traffic and construction issues: “Rush hour would be a nightmare, especially during St. Cornelius’ [a local church on Ridge Road] hours, which… can backup the entire road. Expanding the road [would] take forever and I don’t know how people who live on this road would even be able to get around.” Fellow Sophomore and Ridings Resident Morgan Millaway agreed with these points and added, “Construction on the property will be, at least temporarily, bothersome…noise-wise.” Ridings residents are concerned with how the development will affect their everyday lives, especially during the process of construction. The Unionville transportation system and the students it accommodates would be affected throughout this development process. Students like Millaway and Miller get picked up by the school bus on Ridge Road, so students now have concerns on how the buses will be able to work around large-scale construction on Ridge Road.
In addition to environmental concerns, residents feel that the development is not necessary. Shopping centers/malls within five miles of the Ridings include Concord Mall, Olde Ridge Village Shoppes, and The Shoppes at Brinton Lake. “When [my family] moved here 15 years ago, the trees and environment were clean. Now, with so many shopping centers built in [the last] 15 years, [Chadds Ford] is not … environmentally friendly,” said Sailaja Mokkapati, a resident of the nearby Chadds Ford Estates. Concerns about this project have been voiced to the Township and will be discussed further in upcoming meetings.
