Swarthmore College’s plans for a new athletic complex off College Avenue and North Chester Road are not going over well with some residents, writes Alexandra Paskhavier for the Daily Times.
The college wants a zoning change for Cunningham Fields to install 12 acres of synthetic turf, stadium lighting on 70-foot poles, and sound amplification. The zoning change would permit tennis courts, walking paths, safety netting, and scoreboards.
Swarthmore resident Alison Manaker, representing a group opposing the development, said it will “destroy the residential character of Swarthmore.”
“We are families raising children along residential streets. We are leading quiet lives across from an 18-acre parcel of green grass with athletic fields. Developing this land as if it is the campus would be a radical incursion into land that is not the college campus.
Years ago, the college built soccer and baseball fields adjacent to residential neighborhoods, “which destroyed the peacefulness of those residential neighborhoods,” Manaker said.
Changes to zoning laws allowing the development would also set a precedent for future such projects, Manaker said.
The college hasn’t announced a timetable for the project. The Swarthmore Planning Commission is set to hear plans for Cunningham Field on Feb. 18.
Read more about resident opposition to Swarthmore College’s athletic complex plans in the Daily Times.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in February 2026.
