Cheltenham Township residents are worried that a proposed development along Tookany Creek would increase water runoff in the area that is already prone to flooding, writes Emily Rizzo for WHYY.

The eight townhomes that are in the proposal would demolish woodlands and then be situated along the floodplain and wetland on 222 Church Road – both identified by FEMA.

More than 100 residents showed up for Cheltenham’s Public Works Committee meeting earlier this month to voice opposition to the project. However, despite the objections, the committee granted preliminary approval for the development.

The neighbors are continuing to fight the proposal. The Elkins Park Neighborhood Coalition made a petition against the development that has already gathered nearly 1,400 signatures from community members.

“Making this development here, no matter how minor it seems, people know the fragility of this point in Elkins Park and in Cheltenham,” said Zoë Slutzky, whose mother lives in the home next door to the proposed development.

“There’s this larger concern that as climate change is getting worse, as infrastructure is aging, as the township is talking about sustainability, it is ushering in something extremely destructive,” she added.

Read more about the proposed development in WHYY.

_______
AMetatuer YouTube video shot of the flooded creek in 2010.