Radnor Township residents will get a chance to question officials about a plan to spend $1.45 million on a former veterinary hospital and turn it into the township's magisterial district courthouse before commissioners cast a final vote on the deal.
The township announced it will hold a public hearing in early September on the proposed purchase of 405 W. Wayne Ave., the former St. George Hunt Memorial Veterinary Hospital. Officials said they chose September so residents wouldn't be away on summer vacations. An exact date and time have not been set.
The forum will cover the court's operations, hours, case types, parking and other community concerns, according to Patch. Township and Delaware County representatives will attend.
What's being proposed
Under the plan, Radnor would buy the West Wayne Avenue building and lease it to Delaware County for use as Magisterial District Court 32-2-43, the court of Judge Sloane Walker. Delaware County pays for district courts, and township officials estimate the county's rent would recoup the $1.45 million purchase price over the next decade.
Why the move matters
Court 32-2-43 serves only Radnor Township, yet it has been located at 4655 West Chester Pike in Newtown Square since 2013. That means residents and police officers drive well outside the township to reach their own court, adding travel time, gas costs and overtime pay while taking officers out of the township.
Commissioner Jack Larkin laid out the stakes at the commissioners' July 20 meeting, as reported by Mainline Media News on July 26: "Perhaps the more important issue, though, is that we're sending a really loud message to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania that we don't really care about having our own magisterial district court," Larkin said. He warned that if Radnor continues without a courthouse within its borders, the state Supreme Court could eventually reassign the court to another jurisdiction.
What happens next
Commissioners unanimously introduced the purchase ordinance on July 20, but a separate adoption vote at a future meeting is required for the deal to go through. That final vote has not been scheduled.
Residents who want to weigh in should watch for the township to announce the September hearing date. The township posts updates on its website and its official account on X.
