Pennsbury poised for $4M open-space deal

For more than a decade, three parcels of land adjacent to the Pennsbury Township building have maintained an uncertain future, spawning litigation and raising fears of congestion.

On Oct. 15, the supervisors capped an unusally lengthy meeting fraught with zoning issues with news that prompted applause: The township intends to preserve the long-disputed land and is close to an agreement with its owner, a Toll Brothers subsidiary.

Pennsbury Township Supervisors Scotty Scottoline (from left), Wendell Fenton, and Aaron McIntyre review a zoning issue at Wednesday night's meeting.
Pennsbury Township Supervisors Scotty Scottoline (from left), Wendell Fenton, and Aaron McIntyre review a zoning issue at Wednesday night's meeting.

“This is a very, very significant step,” said Wendell Fenton, vice-chairman of the supervisors.

The supervisors passed three resolutions: one to make the three parcels – totaling about 23 acres – part of the township’s open-space plan; one to acquire a fee simple title, a process that is expected to involve negotiation rather than eminent domain; and one to authorize the township to borrow $4 million on a 20-year loan with an interest rate of 2.696 percent.

Supervisors’ Chairman Scotty Scottoline said the board would not have passed the resolutions if it weren’t guardedly optimistic that an agreement would be reached. Tom Oeste, the township’s solicitor, said it could even happen before the next supervisors’ meeting. “We’re hopeful that we can reach an agreement soon,” Oeste said.

Calling the expected resolution “great news,” Scottoline said instead of the proposed townhomes and carriage houses, township residents would enjoy an expanse of open space. The 23 acres abut the approximate 50 acres of Pennsbury Township Park.

Scottoline said he recalled controversy about the tract when he joined Pennsbury’s Planning Commission in 2003.

According to township records, the tract’s developer then was Pennsbury Village Associates. After a decade-long legal struggle to construct a mixed-use development, PVA received a court setback in 2011 that limited the scope of its plans. Then in 2013, PVA went bankrupt, and an arm of Toll Brothers bought the land at sheriff’s sale. The township has been trying to work out a settlement ever since, the supervisors said.

A public hearing on the proposed acquisition is scheduled for Nov. 19 and will be held in conjunction with the regular supervisors’ meeting.

 

 

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (6 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Loading...

Comments

comments

Leave a Reply