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TIMELINE:

January 2020: A new business LLC was formed and the search for an ideal location was started.

February 2020: Searching for locations. Nothing real promising yet.

March 2020: An agreement was signed to purchase 1.5 acres at the intersection of Old Philadelphia Pike (Rt 340) and N. Ronks Road. Subdivision and other approvals will need to happen.

April 2020: Plans are started to get approval for subdivision and land development.

May 2020: A preliminary meeting with the township.

June 2020: More meetings, studies and drawings are happening.

July 2020: Preliminary drawings for building layout are started.

August 2020: Storm water testing is done. Traffic studies are happening.

September 2020: Meeting with the conservation district happens. Plans are made to meet with the township.

October 2020: PennDOT is giving some negative feedback. The meeting with the township is delayed until we can work things out with them. An additional traffic study is also done.

November 2020: More delays due to PennDOT & Leacock Township. Meetings are planned but it’s now just “hurry-up-and-wait”.

December 2020: The meeting with the township seemed favorable. We are now proceeding with the Land Planning/Development plans.

January 2021: Nothing much to report for January. The project is moving slowly thru the Land Planning/Development stage. I am also working on building layout/design. I am enjoying that part.

February 2021: Again, nothing much to report for February. We are working on the land Planning/Development. Drawings and such are being created & revised. Thanks for being a part of my exciting new venture. It seems it will just take a while yet.

March 2021: We are still working on the project. At this point I am receiving some negative feedback from PennDOT. We have submitted additional paperwork to them. Their anticipated response date is the end of April. We will not be doing much on the project before we have more answers.

April 2021: We have received a favorable review from PennDOT. We will continue with all necessary applications and drawings. We expect to be able to file those soon.

May 2021: During May we continued with the project but found out that the township wants a turn at finding fault with the project. I am not sure yet which way this will go. Stay tuned for details as they become available.

June 2021: The TIA and Response Letter was resubmitted to PennDOT. Plans are continuing with land planning & subdivision. Slowly but surely, we’ll get there eventually.

July 2021: We are still working on applications, etc. PennDOT returned our application with minor technical comments. The application has been revised and refiled. Their response will be in August. Other applications will be submitted during August and September.

August 2021: PennDOT is still causing delays due to technical comments. We are working on finalizing various applications. Yes, various applications, due in part to the various government agencies that want their input on the project. PennDOT, Leacock Township, Department of Environmental Protection and the Lancaster Conservation District just to name a few. Either way, it seems like we are still proceeding forward, although very slowly.

September 2021: I don’t have much to report for September. The paperwork is still being finalized. Applications will be submitted soon. I am having fun experimenting with drink recipes.

October 2021: Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Applications are currently being reviewed. It seems like some are requesting several months to review the paperwork. Patience is the key word right now.

November 2021: I don’t really have anything to report this month. The applications are still under review. Some are requesting several months for the review process.

December 2021: Merry Christmas!!!

January 2022: Things are happening although slowly. The DEP has done their review. The LCCD has promised to review the project soon. And the Township engineer has given us an 18-page letter with their comments. We are working thru all of that.

February 2022: Still working on everything. We will meet with the Township in March.

March 2022: Met with the Township. We need to make some revisions and then present the final plans.

April 2022: Still working on the revisions.

May 2022: Working on the final revisions and hope to resubmit the plans this month.

June 2022: We re-submitted the plans to the township in June. We are expecting a letter from them in the beginning of July. Other than that, we really have no news.

July 2022: We were given a conditional approval by the Township Planning Commission. We need to make some more revisions to satisfy the township engineer.

August 2022: The project is still in the paperwork stage. The township engineer and PennDOT have the plans to review…. again! Hopefully it’s the last time this time.

September 2022: Nothing to report for this month. We are still waiting on the township engineer to do their review.

October 2022: The township supervisors gave us a conditional approval. Still more plan changes need to be done. Also, there is no public water on the property, so a well is scheduled to be drilled. That will then need approval by the DEP. PennDOT approvals are also happening.

November 2022: The subdivision and land development plans have been recorded. We hope to have settlement on the property soon. A pre-construction meeting has been planned. Things are definitely moving forward.

December 2022: We are still waiting on settlement. That should happen soon. After that we should be ready to go. The existing buildings will need to be removed before construction starts. We are also working on finalizing the blueprints.

January 2023: Settlement has now happened. We have a demolition permit and want to do the demolition work during February.

February 2023: The existing buildings are all but gone. The blocks and foundation will be put thru a rock crusher to make a base for the driveway. The next step is to do the site excavation which we plan on doing during March.

March 2023: They are making the dirt fly! The excavator did not start as soon as anticipated, but they are working on the site excavation right now.

April 2023: The excavation is basically done. We are now waiting on the builder to complete the drawings in order to submit the plans for the building permit.

May 2023: There is nothing new to report as we are still waiting on the builder to complete the drawings.

June 2023: The builder has completed the drawings and has submitted them to the township for building code review.

July 2023: The township has returned our application for the building permit with comments requesting some revisions. We will be working on that and hopefully it does not require major changes.

August 2023: It is back to the paperwork game. We are basically required to add a sprinkler system to the building. So now we need to design/engineer that before we can re-submit the plans to the township.

September 2023: It appears we are still in the paperwork stage. The sprinkler system is being added to the plans. That of course means more costs and delays to the project.

October 2023: We’re still waiting for the design/engineering of the sprinkler system. I expect that to be finished in the next few weeks. We do still need investors for the project. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please contact us. Also, we are now offering catering services. If you need a caterer for your next event, we can help.

November 2023: The plans have been re-submitted to the township. Hopefully we can get our building permit approved this time.

December 2023: The township still has issues with the building plan. We are working on that. I don’t know when the plan will be approved but rest assured that we will continue until it’s done.

January 2024: We are still working on our building permit. While there have been many roadblocks, or as some would say “stones thrown on my path”, in getting my permits for the cafe, I will persevere. This project is something that WILL happen, and though I have been using the soft approach so far, I hope I will not be forced to hire an attorney, to get everything pushed thru legally. This is definitely not what I prefer but I think it was a mistake to not involve one from the beginning.

February 2024: WE HAVE OUR BUILDING PERMIT!!! The plan has been approved and we will now start on the construction phase. The builder is working on final paperwork and scheduling the contractors.

March 2024: Now the bank wants a turn at throwing “roadblocks”. They say they can’t give me the loan amount that I am asking for. Costs have increased more than they are comfortable with. I will now need to look at getting investors to invest the difference or reduce the building size in order to reduce costs. Reducing the building size will eliminate parts of my dream. However, if nobody wants to invest, that will be my last option.

April 2024: It looks like we will need to change the building plans in order to reduce the costs. Unfortunately, that will add a couple of months to the project. What keeps me going is all the comments from people who are excited about the cafe.

May 2024: The trees have been planted in the buffer area. Still working on the plans.

June 2024: We are still working on revising the building plans. No other news to report.

July 2024: We are still working on revising the drawings. The second floor needs to be removed in order to eliminate the sprinkler system.

August 2024: The drawings are still being worked on. I did not realize it wouldn’t be simple to just eliminate the second floor.

September 2024: The drawings are complete. We are now getting another construction quote and should have that next month.

October 2024: Still working on the drawings and getting a quote.

November 2024: This is one of the most heartbreaking updates that I have had to post. Unfortunately, the cafe will not be happening as planned. This is due to the bank not willing to provide enough financing to do the construction of the new building. I am not sure which direction we will be taking this as we still have several options. It just won’t be as we dreamed and planned for the past 5 years. As soon as we have definite plans, you will be seeing another update.

Check back later for more details as they become available.

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