Philly-Area Residents Air Concern Over Urban's Shopping Village

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Not everyone in Devon, Pennsylvania likes the idea of a carefully-curated, most-likely-adorable lifestyle village named Devon Yard that Urban Outfitters has planned for their community. Via our Philly site, we're directed to a Mainline Media News article wherein neighbors raise their concerns about the proposed development which, you may recall, is set to include a boutique hotel, a few locavore restaurants, a food market, an Anthropologie, a Terrain garden center, possibly a spa and most definitely a ginormous parking garage.

"We want people to know it's not all rosy and beautiful," said one neighbor who has lived in the area for 13 years. "We're not against something going in there but this is way over the top for our neighborhood. We have small homes that are close together with lots of kids. That's not where you put up a hotel and a parking garage." Said another, "Parking garages are notorious places for bad stuff to happen."

The group, which is five strong, mostly takes issue with the parking structure, the "24/7" hotel and possible road closures but also likes the general idea of a shopping village. "The aesthetic is lovely," said a third. "It's an exciting idea but what we're saying is: we need to proceed with caution."
· Neighbors wary about Urban Outfitters' plans for former Waterloo site [Mainline Media News]
· Urban Outfitters Building a 'Superior' Shopping Village Near Philly [Racked]