Landowner Spotlight

SixteenYears LANDOWNER SPOTLIGHT

BY DONNA DELANY

On a spring day in 1984, Bob and Shelley Casciato were out for a drive in West Vincent Township when they came over the top of a hill and saw a vista that took their breath away. It was love at first sight. From that first moment, the Casciatos felt the need to protect this land, and a love story began.

“I just didn’t know it could be so complicated!” Bob Casciato

The young couple shared a dream of someday living in the country. They both grew up close to Philadelphia. Shelley lived in Merion, and every year she went to her uncle’s summer camp. That’s where her passion for horses began. Like most horsecrazed little girls, she dreamed of having her own farm. Today, Shelley travels on the NCHA Cutting Horse Circuit, where she is nationally ranked. In 2017, her horse made the World Finals in Fort Worth Texas. When asked about the experience, Shelley said, “It was a good year, getting a World Finals Buckle. I have worked hard to get there.”

Bob grew up in Rosemont and remembers being drawn to the way the countryside

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looked; the views symbolized for him, a more tranquil way of life.

After Shelley and Bob married in 1976, they left the city for the Chester Springs area, renting apartments and cottages. In the late 70s, they rented a house from Eleanor Morris. “At that time, I had never heard of land preservation,” Bob remembers. As anyone who knew Eleanor Morris can guess, Eleanor quickly taught the young couple all about the need to preserve and protect our land and waterways. Bob recollects her saying, “You can always fix a house, but once you lose land, it is gone forever.”

On that fateful day in 1984, Bob and Shelley were out driving to look at a horse farm for sale. When they crested that hill and fell in love with the view, they also fell in love with the farm below in the valley, which they purchased and have made their home ever since, sharing it with their dogs and quarter horses. The farm to their east was the Wilson’s dairy farm, made up of 50 acres on either side of the road. Every morning, as the couple drank their coffee, they delighted in watching the cows graze.

Eleanor Morris had a keen eye for spotting talent. Sensing Bob’s love of the land, she invited the intelligent young man to be on the French & Pickering Creek Conservation Trust Board of Directors. When Stock Illoway became President of the Board,

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he knew he wanted someone with a good head for business to be the treasurer, so he asked Bob, and Bob agreed. Bob remained on the board until the early 2000s. One of his fondest memories of that time is, that on late nights after board meetings, he was the one chosen to slowly drive in front of Eleanor Morris’s car to guide her way home, as age began to take a toll on her night vision. In addition to serving on the board, Bob, an avid cyclist, has ridden in most of the French Creek Iron Tour bike rides.

The Casciatos weren’t concerned about losing their cherished view, because they believed they had an agreement with the Wilson family that they would be given first option to buy the dairy farm if the Wilsons ever sold. In 1999, the Casciatos began to hear rumors that the Cutler Group was beginning to acquire surrounding properties with plans to build a major development, paying landowners $67,000 per acre, an amount unheard of before or since, and a number they could not begin to match. The Cutler Group closed on two neighboring properties, but they did not manage to close the deal on the Wilson farm, which had 21 people named as owners on the deed. Twenty-one people needed to agree upon the sale!

Believing that action on the development had stopped, the Casciatos were shocked to hear that an 87-house subdivision plan presented to the West Vincent Planning Commission was approved and headed to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. Bob leapt into action. He wrote letters to his neighbors to inform them about the impending development, which involved clear-cutting of woods, impingement on streams, and a striking loss of habitat. He made picket signs for his group – RAID (Residents Against Irresponsible Development). He organized one hundred people to come to the meeting to protest the development, and this is where French & Pickering’s Pam Brown entered the story. Pam was one of the original RAIDers.

Bob consulted with Eleanor Morris, who suggested he hire lawyer Bob Sugarman. Bob Sugarman loved nature, and he charged half-price when called upon to save open space. Sugarman quickly went to work. He meticulously insisted that all the legal requirements of development be met. This slowed the process down, but even so, the subdivision was finally approved. Still not ready to give up, Bob Casciato decided to sue the developer. Much to his surprise, and the surprise of his lawyer, they won – and the development was stopped again.

The developer appealed the ruling, and back to court they went. Bob’s lawyer advised him that they would never win the appeal. But they did! This was a procedural victory only and would not permanently stop the development. Bob remembers his next step was to take this opportunity to “try to negotiate the best bad deal,” which would be to at least save the field directly next to his farm. He was able to negotiate a deal with the Cutler group, and finally signed an

agreement of sale. His victory was shortlived. The Cutler Group was never able to purchase the farm from the Wilsons, so never had the right to sell the field.

Meanwhile, the real estate market was crumbling. Talk of development was quiet for a decade, until 2013, when rumors again surfaced that the Wilsons might be selling the farm, this time to Toll Brothers. Before the deal was complete, West Vincent Township amended their zoning ordinance to reduce density, which made the farm less attractive to Toll Brothers, and the development giant backed away. With hope renewed, Bob approached the Wilson family again, and after all those years, he was finally given an agreement of sale to buy the entire farm. He signed and returned the agreement, thrilled that it was over. The farm was his to preserve. Days and weeks went by, but the Casciatos heard nothing. Eventually it became clear: the Wilson family wasn’t going to sign the agreement of sale.

Early in 2016, the Casciatos heard that yet another developer was trying to buy the farm. But then, one evening in January, they received a phone call; from that moment, the happy ending of our story began to unfold. New neighbors had moved in on the north side of the Wilson Farm, Paul and Cynthia Black. Unaware of the long history, the Blacks wanted to know if Bob might want to join with them to save the Wilson farm. Of course, he said, “Yes!” Now, the project unfolded at lightning speed – so fast, Bob says some mornings he wakes up and can’t believe it really happened. Together with the Blacks, they contacted neighbors on the south side of the Wilson farm, Wilson and Barbara Taylor, to see if they would like to join in the project, and they agreed. The neighbors formed a partnership and named it Sixteen Years, LLC in honor of the 16 years that Bob invested in trying to acquire and preserve the property. He still appears to be in shock about how quickly things progressed, as is Shelley, who admits, “I NEVER thought it would happen.” “We are extremely pleased to have been able to partner with our neighbors to preserve this beautiful piece of Chester County. This land has rolling hills, beautiful meadows and a mature forest which supports an incredible diversity of wildlife. It is wonderful to know that it always will.” Paul Black

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After 15 years and 10 months of being on this quest, the whole project resolved in two months: The Sixteen Years Partnership purchased the Wilson farm.

There was still work to do to preserve the land and farm forever. The farm was safe for the foreseeable future. The current owners had no intention of developing. However, over time, many factors can change that negatively affect the future of land. Bob knew just what to do – he called Pam Brown. Pam, one of the original protesters from 1999, is now Conservation Director at French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. Pam loved the property too, and she has many happy memories of riding her horse on the trails there – trails that connect to Bryn Coed Farm and will extend the reach of the new Bryn Coed Preserve’s public trails. Pam set about putting all the pieces together to secure funding to conserve the property. She recalls, “The Sixteen Years partners were a joy to work with; the most generous, kind and conservation-minded people!”

Because Sixteen Years is considered a high priority property to preserve for public value, Pam was able to find funding from a wide variety of sources. The historic farm and farmhouse are part of Chester County history. It adjoins Bryn Coed Preserve to the south and west; contiguous preserved land is of greater benefit to an ecosystem than are smaller islands. There are two headwater streams and many tributaries on the property. Protecting them from the effects of development and runoff will help to keep French Creek an Exceptional Value Waterway. The streams’ riparian buffers keep the water cool (which supports our local aquatic ecosystem). Riparian buffers filter rainwater before it gets to the streams and slow the flow of stormwater runoff. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground to refill our aquifers instead of contributing to flooding downstream.

The native trees and understory plants in the woodland support songbirds and pollinators. The trails already on the

“Preserving land is as great a legacy as we can leave.” Bob Casciato

property will become public when the Bryn Coed Preserve project is complete and add to public benefit by extending the trail system. And last, but not least – the view! Bob is by no means alone in believing that this viewshed is the gateway to West Vincent, and it will certainly be the gateway for many visitors to the new Bryn Coed Preserve. The same view that took the Casciatos’ breath away all those years ago will remain intact for generations to come, so they too may have the chance to fall in love.

Pam went to work on what turned out to be “a wonderful example of collaboration among funding agencies and the owners” although she admits it was a “study in patience and perseverance.” She contacted the West Vincent Land Trust, and they happily provided funds to cover the cost of appraisals and easement transactions. Sixteen Years received financial support from Chester County, Open Space Institute through the William Penn Foundation, and West Vincent Township, in addition to a substantial donation from the Sixteen Years partners. On the evening when the West Vincent Supervisors were slated to vote on funding for the project, over a hundred residents filled the room. One by one, residents stood up and spoke from the heart about what saving this land meant to them. Children attended, too, and many held up handmade signs. As the meeting went on long past his bedtime, one mother asked her son if he would like to go home. He replied, “No, mom, this is too important.” The meeting ended with a unanimous decision by the supervisors to support the preservation of the Sixteen Years property.

By the end of 2017, a conservation easement was in place to protect the farmland, streams, woods, trails and views - forever. The easement extinguished 30 of the 34 allowed building rights. The property may be subdivided into no more than four large parcels. The farmhouse, which had been vacant for years, was cleaned and repaired, and is now ready for a new family to move in and add their chapter to its history. The crumbling back wall of the original barn was restored by Amish farmers, using the same methods that were used when the barn was built. An old farm dump next to one of the streams was cleaned out with help from Bob’s company, Alliance Environmental Systems. Ninety-five tons of debris, including 600 tires, were removed, and the land underneath was graded and planted.

When asked about the future, Bob says he would never leave the property and plans on living there forever. “Why would you go anywhere else?” he said. “It is always going to look this way. Preserving land is as great a legacy as we can leave.” Eleanor Morris would agree.