The Upper Gwynedd Township Commissioners have not yet used their power of eminent domain to take a 32-acre swath of private land along Allentown Road at Broad Street known as the Martin tract for public park purposes, however they have recently decided to ask for a $1 million state grant to help acquire the property.
Per Dan Sokil of The Reporter, township officials approved a grant request seeking $1.15 million from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to defray the estimated $2.3 million cost of purchasing the property. Since the grant is a 50 percent match, the state would put up $1.15 million to acquire the property as well, per the report.
“We continue to engage in discussions with the owner of the parcels located at Allentown Road and Broad Street, known as the Martin Tract, regarding the township’s potential purchase of the property,” said commissioners President Denise Hull at the Monday night meeting.
According to Sokil, a debate between commissioners and residents on acquiring the property started in September 2021; in that month, commissioners were nearly successful with their eminent domain powers, but tied on a vote to acquire the Martin tract.
Per The Reporter articles, the Martin tract was eyed for future acquisition in the township’s August 2021 comprehensive plan, which led to the property owner and tenants fighting with the township over the threat. In the meantime, the discussions keep going.
At the meeting this week, resident Glenn Hatfield warned the board to tread lightly, so as not to end up in the recent situation where Montgomery Township lost an eminent domain legal battle with the Zehr family.
In fact, the same lawyer in that case – David Snyder – is representing the Martin family. Snyder told The Reporter that Upper Gwynedd Township commissioners should consider what happened in that situation.
“The point isn’t that you shouldn’t go forward with the park, or open space or whatever it is. But it really is a very aggressive action. Eminent domain can cut both ways, obviously,” Hatfield said. “I think the better way to do it is, if you really like that project, have a plan for it, present it to the residents, and then bargain with the current owner in good faith, and come up with something that works for everybody.”
Read more on the grant application here.
Back in February, commissioners unanimously approved a PR contract with Gailey Murray Communications to handle township newsletters, social media, and all Martin tract communications.
A few residents griped over an estimated earmark of $10,000 for the first three months of the contract and a rate of $150 per hour on assisting the township “with the communications on the future of the Martin Tract.” Assistance would include discussions on day-to-day direction for communications on the matter, outreach, website content development, social media posts, direct mailings and email messages, and events, per The Reporter.
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