Regency at Providence Residents Oppose Possible Trail Through 55-Plus Community

Residents of Regency at Providence, a 55-and-over community in Upper Providence Township, are urging township officials to reject a possible trail connection through their neighborhood, citing safety, health, and environmental concerns.

Before public comment began at the Upper Providence Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, Board Chair Kelly Stevens acknowledged that many residents of Regency at Providence had attended recent township meetings to voice their opposition to the concept of a trail in their neighborhood. In an effort to clarify the status of the project, she read from a written response she said she had sent to a resident of the community that morning.

Stevens said the trail referenced by residents has appeared in various planning documents over the past two decades but that there is currently no approved or funded project to build a trail through or adjacent to the neighborhood.

"At this stage, the master plan is simply that: a planning document," Stevens said. "It does not authorize construction, allocate funding, or permit the township to build any specific trail."

Stevens said the township is developing an updated township-wide trail master plan with a professional consultant. Once a draft is complete, she said, it would undergo a public review process, including consideration from the parks and recreation board, before the board of supervisors votes on the plan itself. Any individual trail project would then require separate evaluation and approval covering engineering feasibility, environmental impacts, property ownership, cost, and funding, she said.

“I understand concerns that have been raised on privacy, security, and quality of life at the Regency at Providence, and they are important considerations,” Stevens continued. “They will be part of any future discussions should a specific trail proposal ever advance beyond this conceptual planning stage.”

Residents Cite Safety and Health Risks

After the board chair’s remarks, members of the Regency at Providence community voiced their opposition to the trail idea during public comment.

Letitia McMaster said a petition opposing a possible trail had been signed by 90 percent of neighbors. She said that Regency at Providence has more than 330 driveways and raised concerns about civil liability, environmental runoff, and tree removal. She also noted that community members have already started seeing non-residents riding e-bikes through the neighborhood.

Jon Sovocool, who identified himself as a certified fitness trainer with a master's degree in exercise physiology, said a multi-use trail running more than a mile through a community with an average age above 70 would endanger both residents and trail users. He said age-related loss of strength, reaction time, and balance leaves older adults less able to avoid fast-moving bicycles or e-bikes.

Bob Sidor said he and his wife ride the Schuylkill River Trail and Perkiomen Trail, where a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit is often not observed. He said e-bikes can reach 30 miles per hour and that riders frequently pass without warning.

Stevens reiterated that there are currently no plans to develop a trail through the neighborhood. She encouraged all concerned residents to attend a trail master plan workshop scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, at 6 p.m. at the township building, as well as a separate public trail meeting planned for September that has not yet been scheduled.

"We are listening," Stevens said.