But the nonhistoric extras raise concerns: a 3.5-story hotel and conference center, with restaurant and liquor license; a 99-bed dormitory; a campground; an ATM, and a day-care center for visitors and employees.
It is all intended to create a "destination" for tourists and scholars, Thomas M. Daly, president and CEO of the center, told Lower Providence planners Wednesday night. "We want to give people an opportunity to hold conferences and stay overnight." The proposed amenities are also aimed at helping the center accomplish its educational mission.
Park Superintendent Mike Caldwell wasn't impressed.
"ATMs, campgrounds, conference centers, hotels - they are all utterly unrelated to the museum," he said. "There are other commercial areas where they can go. There is only one Valley Forge."
The critics won this round. The planning commission voted against the ordinance that would have cleared the way for the project. The next stop is the township supervisors.
This is not the first time the same parties have squared off over a development proposal on the park's north side. In 2001, Toll Bros. Inc. proposed building 62 luxury homes within the park's boundary, generating outrage across the country.
Three years later, the park service quietly bought the land from Toll for $8.5 million.
The Wednesday night meeting was the first chance the public had to see the museum's plans, and many were not happy with what they heard.
Resident Albert Dilworth asked why the center, a nonprofit organization, needed commercial zoning. "It sounds like a profit organization to me," he said.
