Proposed referendum for open space tax part of preservation plan
Lower Salford Township recently reached an agreement of sale with the Allebach family for the purchase of the Allebach Farm, a property long recognized as a scenic and historic viewshed in the township.
The 62-acre farm is bounded by Main Street, Quarry Road and Stover Road. Its preservation ensures that the property will remain permanently protected as open space and cannot be developed, said a Lower Salford Township announcement.
The agreement of sale follows roughly two years of negotiations between the township and the heirs to property owner Martha Allebach, who passed away in 2023. Zoned as a mixed-use district, the property attracted interest from numerous developers as well as township officials, who wanted to protect the historic farm from development.
“It’s a spectacular viewshed, and it’s important to preserve because it’s one of the last large parcels that can be developed,” said township manager Joseph Czajkowski. “While there are larger properties, they could never be developed as this one, and they wouldn’t affect as much change on the community as this property would if it was ever developed.”
“It’s always been a centerpiece property in the township, and this is an opportunity for us to provide a large swath of green space that is interconnected with other parts of our open space network to continue growing that,” said township supervisor Chris Canavan. “The underlying zoning is fairly dense, and it could contribute to over 300 new households and more commercial space that at a certain point would generate more traffic flow and demands on our resources that we would defer by purchasing the property.”
The township ultimately negotiated a purchase price of $21,500,000. The purchase will be funded by an anticipated $7.5 million in grant funding as well as a proposed 0.25% earned income tax dedicated to open space, which would amount to approximately $203 per year for the average resident. The tax is expected to appear on the May 2026 ballot as a referendum.
“So we have negotiated an agreement to buy this property subject to getting appropriate financing,” said Canavan. “It’s now going to be an opportunity [given to] the electorate. They get to make the final decision. Are they willing to take the steps in the primary election of enacting the approval for incurring the debt and potentially the earned income tax that is going to take to preserve something like this?”
“Almost any time a development comes in, the public comment is, ‘Why do we have to have this development? Why is this happening?’” added Czajkowski. “So if past comments on recent development are any indication, this is what people want us to do.”
While prohibiting any additional development on the property, the township anticipates some active recreation on the farm, including playing fields, public works-related activities and trails that connect to the township trail network.
“It’s a game-changer for the township — a 65-acre parcel that will basically forever be undeveloped in any kind of commercial or residential way,” said Czajkowski. “There are municipalities close by that have missed these opportunities, and frankly we’ve missed these opportunities in the past for certain areas. But now we can safeguard one of the township’s most visible and treasured landscapes, basically forever.”
“And if the referendum passes, it will not only pay for this property, but it will give us the ability to look at other properties throughout the township that we can hopefully preserve going forward,” Czajkowski concluded.
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