Residents urge council to preserve Mazzino/Mosino forest, oppose rezoning

Dozens of Upper Darby residents used the public forum to urge council not to rezone a 15-acre forest tract currently under proposal for a new mixed-use zoning district.

“Vote no to rezone and preserve the Mazino tract,” Faith Surbey told the council, reading a letter and citing Marple Township’s prior unanimous denial of a development application under Pennsylvania’s environmental rights framework.

Speakers emphasized ecological services, local flood protection and economic value: Jamie Watts cited a 2022 county study showing that nearby parks provide hundreds of thousands in annual recreational value and millions in health and workplace savings, and several residents said the forest’s mature canopy performs important stormwater and air-quality functions that would be difficult to replace.

Michelle Scofield, president of the Stonehurst Hills Community Association, said the question before council was not whether the property could be developed under current rules but whether the council should create an entirely new zoning district to permit a different form and intensity of development.

The public comments also raised concerns about traffic, local infrastructure and precedent: speakers warned that rezoning this tract could set a pattern for future rezoning across the township. Residents asked council to align decisions with the township’s comprehensive plan and to allow more time for community input and technical review.

Councilors later scheduled a special meeting focused on the tract to allow the developer and community to place information on the record and continue formal public review.

Speakers quoted here appeared during public comment; no rezoning vote was recorded at this meeting.