Veterinary Center To Replace Maddie's

The East Whiteland Planning Commission heard details Wednesday night of a plan to replace the shuttered Maddie's restaurant on Lancaster Avenue with a state-of-the-art veterinary center.

After a presentation by architect Ted Mondzelewski, the commission agreed to support the project, provided sidewalks are added to the design.

The Great Valley Veterinary Oncology Center will be an expansion of the Veterinary Referral Center, currently operating next door.

"We've basically outgrown our facility," Ken Sadanaga, a surgeon and partner at Veterinary Referral Center, told the commission.

Sadanaga said his clients travel to other towns for their pets' radiation and chemotherapy needs. The new oncology center will have a second floor with large operating rooms and treat 40 to 60 clients daily, he said.

The only major change suggested by the planning commission was the inclusion of sidewalks. The township mandates sidewalks for construction projects along that corridor, where pedestrians have died in recent years.

Stormwater quantities on the property aren't likely to change much, as the footprint of the new building will be slightly larger than Maddie's, but stormwater quality might become an issue for the developers.

The commission saw no reason, historic or otherwise, to oppose the demolition of the building.

Even Mondzelewski, who once saw Jefferson Starship perform at Maddie's, described it as "a scary place to walk through."