Est. 2026 Vol. I  ·  No. 11 Price: Free to Residents

The Radnor Gazette

All the News That Fits the Township
Wayne · St. David's · Radnor Township
The Weekly Edition Sunday, May 24, A.D. 2026 Delaware County, Pennsylvania

5 Things to Watch This Week

  1. Your county tax bill is now due. Delaware County's roughly 19% property-tax increase comes to a head this week: the full face amount of the 2026 county bill is due by June 1, after the early-payment discount has closed.
  2. Radnor's school board takes up next year's budget Tuesday. The board meets May 26, the calendar point where districts normally lock in the 2026-27 budget and the school-tax rate that is the larger half of your bill.
  3. Zoning board weighs EV chargers and parking on Lancaster Avenue. A continued variance request tied to electric-vehicle charging at 215 W. Lancaster Ave. led the May 21 hearing.
  4. SEPTA's bus overhaul reaches Radnor later than you think. August's first phase skips the Paoli and Thorndale corridor; local changes are scheduled for February 2027.
  5. A 20,000-square-foot food hall is coming to Wayne. Caterer ANEU Kitchens is converting space at Eagle Yards into a cafe, market, and production kitchen, opening targeted for fall.
Top Story · Property Taxes
Delaware County's 19% Tax Bill Comes Due June 1
A quiet news week, but the clock on the county's higher property-tax bill is the loudest thing on a Radnor homeowner's calendar.

By Gazette Staff · Sunday, May 24, 2026

The single most concrete hit to a Radnor homeowner's wallet this week is a deadline, not a vote. Delaware County's 2026 budget raised the county property-tax levy by roughly 19%, and the bill that arrived back in February now has a near-term due date. According to WHYY's reporting on the increase, the average county homeowner, on a home assessed around $255,000, is paying on the order of $188 more per year, or about $16 a month, under the new rate.

The timing matters as much as the dollars. Per the Delaware County Treasurer's current-year schedule, county real-estate bills were mailed in early February, the 2% early-payment discount period closed around the start of April, and the face (at-par) amount is due by June 1, after which the bill moves into its penalty period. That makes this week the last clear runway to pay at face value.

This is a correction worth making plainly. A county tax bill is not "newly hitting mailboxes" in late May. As we noted in Vol. I, No. 10, the increase is real and is landing on residents, but the mailing happened in February and the operative event for residents right now is the June 1 payment deadline, not a fresh envelope. The useful move is to pay at par before the penalty period begins.

Sources: WHYY (Delaware County property-tax increase); Delaware County Treasurer (current tax year).
School taxes are the largest line on most Radnor tax bills, and the board sets next year's rate at its May 26 meeting. See Schools, below

County Tax: The Essentials

  • Increase: About 19% on the county levy for 2026 (per WHYY).
  • Typical cost: Roughly +$188 a year, about +$16 a month, on a home assessed near $255,000.
  • Mailed: Early February. Discount window closed about April 1.
  • Due at face value: June 1. Penalty period follows.
  • Pay or check: Delco Treasurer, current tax year.

2026 Priorities Watch

  • VFMA land: No change. Five-year right-of-first-refusal path chosen in March; nothing on the May 18 BoC agenda.
  • 118-120 N. Wayne "Restaurant Row": No change. Preliminary Planning Commission approval; needs variances and final BoC vote.
  • Vision for Wayne / Radnor: No new ordinance this week.
  • Pay-by-plate parking: No change. Rollout completed this spring.
  • Leaf-blower ban: No change. Early-stage EAC effort.
  • Stormwater (3 projects): No change. In design and permitting.
  • Radnor Trail east extension: No change. In planning.

Open Safety Threads

  • Cumberland Place firearm theft: No arrest or charge posted this week (alert dated May 11).
  • Lesley Road three-alarm fire: No cause ruling reported since mid-May.
  • Cruiser-civilian crash: Charges still pending; nothing new in the window.
Schools (RTSD) · Safety Beat

Radnor School Board to Take Up 2026-27 Budget Tuesday

Top Story · Rank 2

The larger half of a Radnor homeowner's property-tax bill, the school district levy, reaches a key point this week. Pennsylvania districts must adopt their 2026-27 final budgets by June 30, and the Radnor Township Board of School Directors meets Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. at the Radnor Township Municipal Building, 301 Iven Avenue, on its regular fourth-Tuesday schedule. That meeting is the calendar slot where final budget adoption typically occurs.

For context on the stakes: last spring the board adopted a $124,998,193 budget carrying a 15.7965-mill rate, a 3.85% tax increase for 2025-26. The specific 2026-27 figures, and whether final adoption lands on the May 26 agenda, had not been posted publicly at press time, so the Gazette reports the date and the prior-year baseline rather than an unconfirmed number.

Sources: RTSD Board of School Directors; Suburban Realtors Alliance (May 2025).

Coming Up at RTSD

No RTSD-TV meeting was uploaded in the past seven days, so this is the week ahead, per the board page and district calendar:

Tue., May 26, 7 p.m. Business Meeting, 301 Iven Ave. (likely budget adoption). Tue., June 2: committee night, Curriculum 5 p.m., Policy 7 p.m., Facilities 7:30 p.m. Tue., June 9, 7 p.m.: Business Meeting. The most recent committee meeting on the public record is the April 14 Facilities Committee. Meetings stream on RTSD-TV.

RTSD Policy Watch

AI / cyberbullying: Active. Administrators presented updated regulations barring AI-generated "sexualized, indecent, demeaning or intimate content" to the Policy Committee in early May, following bullying and harassment policy changes adopted around April; the district said it will engage outside professionals from summer into fall, the Inquirer reported. No public comment-window date stated.

AI in academic integrity: No standalone public draft yet. Technology / acceptable-use policy: under revision alongside the AI rules. Ithan Elementary rebuild: on track, with bids awarded in February and the new building opening for 2028-29. No new milestone this week.

RTSD Board of School Directors

President Liz Duffy; Vice President Susan Stern; Sarah Dunn, Clare Girton, Jannie Lau, Thomas Le, Lon Rosenblum, Lydia T. Solomon, and DJ Thornton. Superintendent: Kenneth Batchelor. Roster per the district website.

Reported Shooting Was Intoxication, Police Say

A person who told Radnor police around 7:30 a.m. on May 17 that he had been shot in the stomach in the 800 block of Bryn Mawr Avenue was found to have no gunshot wound and to be intoxicated, according to Sgt. Brady McHale. He was evaluated at Bryn Mawr Hospital and faces narcotics charges.

Source: Radnor Patch (May 17, 2026).

Otherwise, a Quiet Beat

Delaware County's CrimeWatch arrests feed listed no Radnor Township entries for May 17 to 24, and the township's own Crime and Police Alerts page posted nothing newer than May 11. Open threads from earlier in the month appear in the sidebar above.

Township Action · Development & Real Estate

Commissioners Hold a Housekeeping Night

The Board of Commissioners met Monday, May 18, for a largely routine session. Recognitions included the township Finance Department's 14th consecutive GFOA budget award and a Tree City USA designation, plus two Historical Architectural Review Board certificates (124 Poplar Avenue and 418 St. Davids Road).

On the action agenda, commissioners took up a senior check-in software contract (Resolution 2026-53) and two Fenimore Woods stable change orders: Resolution 2026-71 at $4,341.84 and Resolution 2026-67 at $408,309.78. No VFMA, parking, leaf-blower, stormwater, trail, or Vision items appeared.

Source: Radnor Granicus (May 18, 2026).

Zoning Board Hears EV-Charging and Parking Appeal on Lancaster Avenue

Top Story · Rank 3

Radnor's Zoning Hearing Board met May 21 and took up three appeals, led by a continued request at 215 W. Lancaster Avenue tied to electric-vehicle charging stations and parking variances, carried over from April. The board also heard Appeal #3264, a front-yard setback for an addition at 701 Camp Woods Road, and Appeal #3265, a request to allow a full kitchen in an in-law suite at 645 Radnor Valley Drive.

The closely watched 118-120 N. Wayne Avenue "Restaurant Row" redevelopment was not on this agenda. The next Zoning Hearing Board meeting is scheduled for June 18.

Source: Radnor Granicus agenda and video (May 21, 2026).

ANEU Kitchens Bets Big on Wayne

Main Line caterer ANEU Kitchens, led by Meridith Coyle, is converting roughly 20,000 square feet at Eagle Yards Corporate Center into a cafe and espresso bar, a provisions market, an approximately 10,000-square-foot production kitchen, a wine-and-spirits bar, and flexible event and wellness space. An opening is targeted for fall 2026, with construction through the summer; an Ardmore Farmers Market outpost is planned for mid-June.

Source: SAVVY Main Line (May 19, 2026).

Active Land Development

The 118-120 N. Wayne "Restaurant Row" rebuild holds preliminary Planning Commission approval and still needs variances and a final BoC vote; no fresh township action this week. Separately, the Louella boutique on Lancaster Avenue announced in early May it will close after 14 years.

Community, Environment & Notices

SEPTA Bus Redesign Reaches Radnor in 2027, Not August

SEPTA's New Bus Network launches its first phase in August 2026, but those changes land in South Philadelphia, Kensington, and the Lancaster Avenue corridor, not the Paoli and Thorndale routes that serve Radnor. Per SEPTA's implementation schedule, the local changes, including the first "SEPTA Go Zones," come in the February 2027 phase, so riders expecting an August shake-up have a longer runway.

Source: SEPTA.

Quiet Week on the Environmental Beat

No new Radnor Conservancy or Environmental Advisory Council reporting surfaced this week. Seasonal programming continues at Chanticleer Garden, open Wednesday through Sunday with Friday evening hours, including "Demystifying Hardy Ferns" on May 27 and the 27th Annual Chanticleer Lecture, "The Gravel Garden," on June 14.

On the parks side, Radnor Parks and Recreation hosts the Great American Backyard Campout the weekend of May 30 to 31.

Notices to Residents

  • Memorial Day parade steps off Monday, May 25, along Route 30, with the ceremony at Runnymede and S. Wayne Ave.
  • County tax due June 1. Pay at face value before the penalty period (see Top Story).
  • Library summer reading sign-ups begin June 10, running through August 16. Details.
  • July 4 fireworks return to Radnor High School on July 2, the township's first in eight years.
  • Radnor Hunt Races will continue under a new committee for 2027; covered last issue. No new development.
Coming Up
DateEventDetails
Mon., May 25Memorial Day Parade & CeremonyParade along Route 30 from Radnor Financial Center; ceremony at Runnymede & S. Wayne Ave., Wayne. Rain or shine. radnormemorialday.org.
Tue., May 26RTSD Board of School Directors7 p.m., 301 Iven Ave. Likely 2026-27 budget adoption. Streams on RTSD-TV.
Tue., May 27Chanticleer: Demystifying Hardy FernsChanticleer Garden, Wayne.
Sat. to Sun., May 30-31Great American Backyard CampoutRadnor Parks & Recreation.
Through June 20Wayne Plein Air Exhibition (18th annual)Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave. Gallery tours May 27 & June 10.
Sun., June 1427th Annual Chanticleer Lecture: The Gravel GardenChanticleer Garden.
Wed., June 18Zoning Hearing BoardNext ZHB session. radnor.granicus.com.
Thu., July 2Radnor July 4 / America250 FireworksRadnor High School. First township fireworks in eight years. Details.
Worth Your Time Elsewhere
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Hot Take · Editorial

Two Tax Deadlines, One Squeezed Homeowner

This was a quiet news week in Radnor. No big votes, no fires, no scandals. But quiet weeks are exactly when the slow-moving story that actually empties a homeowner's checking account deserves the front page. This week, two property-tax clocks are ticking at once, and both land on the same Radnor mailbox.

The first is the county's. Delaware County raised its property-tax levy by about 19% for 2026, and the bill that arrived back in February is now coming due: the face amount must be paid by June 1 before it slides into the penalty period. For the typical Radnor home, WHYY pegs the increase at roughly $188 a year. That is not a number that bankrupts anyone, but it is the second straight year residents have been asked for more, and the county's bill is only the smaller slice of the property-tax pie.

The bigger slice is decided this Tuesday. The Radnor school board meets May 26, the calendar slot where Pennsylvania districts normally adopt a final budget and set the school-tax rate. Last year that rate rose 3.85%. This year's number had not been posted publicly as of our deadline, which is precisely why residents should show up or tune in rather than wait to read about it. School taxes are the largest line on most Radnor tax bills, and a vote taken on a quiet Tuesday night in May is still a vote about your money.

There is also a record to correct, and we would rather correct our own. Last week's edition leaned on the framing that the county hike was "now hitting mailboxes." The bills were mailed in February; what is hitting now is the deadline. The distinction matters, because the useful action for a resident is not outrage at a fresh envelope. It is paying at par before June 1 and watching how the school board votes before June 30.

The throughline connecting both deadlines runs back to Harrisburg, where, as Spotlight PA reports, a fight over new revenue and a looming state-budget deadline will determine how much aid flows to Delco and to RTSD. If that state aid falls short, the pressure tends to land on the two local bills now in front of you. None of this is dramatic. All of it is your tax rate.

If You Can Do One Thing This Week

Pay your Delaware County real-estate tax at face value before the June 1 deadline. It is the one tax action with a hard date on it right now, and paying before the penalty period begins is the cheapest move available. Then mark Tuesday, May 26, 7 p.m. at 301 Iven Avenue, where the school board's likely budget vote sets the larger half of your bill. County payment details: delcopa.gov/treasurer/currenttaxyear.

· · ·
The Radnor Gazette · A digest for residents of Wayne, St. David's, and Radnor Township.
Research conducted May 24, 2026, covering the news window of May 17 to 24, 2026. Sources this week include WHYY (whyy.org), the Delaware County Treasurer (delcopa.gov), the Radnor Township School District (rtsd.org), Radnor Granicus (radnor.granicus.com), Radnor Patch (patch.com/pennsylvania/radnor), SAVVY Main Line (savvymainline.com), the Philadelphia Inquirer (inquirer.com), the Suburban Realtors Alliance (suburbanrealtorsalliance.com), SEPTA (septa.org), Spotlight PA (spotlightpa.org), NJ Spotlight News (njspotlightnews.org), Delaware Public Media (delawarepublic.org), the Wayne Art Center (wayneart.org), the Radnor Memorial Library (radnorlibrary.org), and Chanticleer Garden (chanticleergarden.org). News items are sourced as noted inline. Corrections welcome.
Fin