Green Woods Charter Faces Neighbors' Pros and Cons

Well over 100 neighbors gathered in the conference room at Chestnut Hill Hospital on Tuesday evening to hear Green Woods Charter School present before the Development Review Committee of the Chestnut Hill Community Association their plans to convert historic Greylock Manor into their primary charter school.  Many neighbors were there in opposition to the plans, many in favor of them. 

After lead architect, Joe Jancuska, outlined the plans for Greylock’s renovation, a three-phase process that will see the school grow from 225 to 675 students over the course of the next several years, Christopher Gadsden read a prepared statement on behalf of neighbors opposed to the conversion of Greylock Manor for Green Woods’ purposes. 

Gadsden said he spoke on behalf of approximately 100 near neighbors of Greylock who have signed a petition to the historical society expressing their reservations.   

“We understand that applications to the DRC must be accompanied by evidence of neighborhood support,” read Gadsden.  “Well, our members include substantial numbers of neighbors not just on Chestnut Hill Avenue, but also Seminole, Rex, Navajo, Crefold, Norman, Laughlin, Wateman, Towanda, Summit, Shawnee, St. Martins, and Germantown.  And - we have found no neighborhood support for the school.” 

Greylock, which was built by architect William Carpenter and was the residence of steel magnate Henry Laughlin, has seen its share of potential tenants over the past decade.  In 1999, a nursing home planned to buy and build on the site.  It was later bought by the owner of an internet bank for office use.   

As Gadsden said, “Chestnut Hill realized then that some tightly-restricted, low-density commercial use might be compatible with the residential character of the property and surrounding community.” 

However, Gadsden and the neighbors he represented believe Green Woods’ plans will greatly conflict with the easements on Greylock Manor. An explanation of easements can be found here

Specific examples of how Green Woods’ plan will conflict with the easement include the widening of the driveway, removal of foliage trees and other vegetation, obstruction of public view from Chestnut Hill Avenue, and too many parking spaces, as well as too many vehicle trips per day. 

Traffic was the word of the evening as many neighbors voiced their concern that integrating a school of nearly 700 students into the community could cause a host of nightmares in that regard.    

Still, the neighbors that support Green Woods’ move into Greylock gave reasons at the meeting, as well.  The tuition-free, public charter school takes a unique, hands-on approach to education.  With a strong focus on the environment, Green Woods Charter School has earned the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence and has been designated as an Exemplary School for Environmental Education from the PA Department of Education.       

“We chose the Greylock site because we value the rich history and environmental ethic that permeates the entire community,” said Jean Wallace, CEO of Green Woods in an email following the night‘s events. “ It is our strong desire to grow the next generation of stewards by working in collaboration with our neighbors and the outstanding conservation, preservation, and education organizations that share our mission. The architectural designs we presented at this meeting will allow everyone to envision just how Green Woods will mesh the old with the new and bring Greylock Manor back to life, enabling the property to be enjoyed and cherished by many generations to come.”  

Perhaps John O’Connell, realtor and Democratic Committee leader for the ninth ward, summed up the complications of this undertaking best.  

“I am someone that thinks that Chestnut Hill and the surrounding communities could use a public school option,” said O’Connell after the meeting.  “But I think the neighbors have some valid points.  Buses and traffic and all these things have to be fleshed out.  And I think they’re going to have a very difficult time passing this through the historical society.  That’s their mission - to preserve historical buildings.  I know the property has been on the market for a long time and it will be an enormous amount of work [to restore it].  Some of the rooms have been butchered for past commercial work.  It could go either way, I think.” 

Green Woods Charter School may have a long, uphill battle ahead of them.  Their plans include moving some students into the new location as early as September of this year.  They will be presenting more details of the project at the technical committees of CHCA, starting with Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee on March 31.