Save Phoenixville's Open Space: Save the K-Center!

Save Phoenixville's Open Space: Save the K-Center!

Started
August 28, 2022
Signatures: 1,828Next Goal: 2,500
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Why this petition matters

Phoenixville Area Friends of Open Space, a grassroots community movement, is working to save what Open Space remains in the Phoenixville area.

With the people of the Phoenixville Area School District, we petition Phoenixville Borough to save the property of the former Kindergarten Center as Open Space and to work with Chester County in pursuing the use of Eminent Domain. This property is key to accomplishing the goals of the Borough’s new Comprehensive Plan and we believe its best use for the community would be as a Borough Park.

Anyone interested in financially supporting our movement can do so at our GoFundMe page.

Over the past year, our coalition has asked the School Board time and time again to publicly respond to the concerns and questions of their constituents, but there has been no substantive public discussion with the current Board. Despite overwhelming public opposition, they voted to sell the property to luxury high-density developers without presenting an agreement of sale or all offers for public consideration.

Now, we believe our best remaining option is the use of the Eminent Domain process to determine a fair market price and allow nature conservancies and other organizations to raise funds to purchase the property.

Some may remember, in the past, the Phoenixville Area School District used Eminent Domain to force the purchase of the privately owned Meadowbrook Golf Course for less than the asking price. In our case however, the public is asking the Borough to use Eminent Domain to protect our Open Space and allow the court to set a fair market price to keep this land public for the benefit of our taxpayers and community.

“Residents, employees, and visitors seek an attractive and convenient system of parks, trails, and open spaces accessible by walking and transit. Phoenixville Borough has the highest density areas within the region and is projected to grow more dense. This requires parks, trails and open space, rightly situated to ensure Phoenixville remains a place where people want to live, work and play.” - Phoenixville Comprehensive Plan

The 7.4 acre Kindergarten Center property uniquely fulfills these goals in the recently passed Comprehensive Plan by:

  • Adding more parks and Open Space to our community
  • Increasing the proximity to a park for many Borough residents
  • Providing enhanced tree and natural landscaping
  • Becoming an access point for the proposed Schuylkill Freedom Trail
  • Contributing potential additional parking for the Borough
  • Increasing community health and well-being
  • Mitigating and reducing stormwater runoff

Additional Benefits of Open Space:

  • Flood mitigation and management
  • Habitat protection
  • Carbon capture and air pollutant removal
  • Increase in property values
  • Lower tax increases
  • Free destinations and meeting places
     

The decision to sell this property to yet another luxury high-density developer is in direct opposition to all of these benefits. We are running out of land and we cannot support this development at the expense of our Open Space. Once Open Space is gone, it’s gone forever. 

Please help us save this land by signing this petition to our Borough Council members and County Commissioners. You can also donate to our GoFundMe to help raise legal fees. PS. $25 or more gets you a free ticket to our Fundraiser on September 14th.

 

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Signatures: 1,828Next Goal: 2,500
Support now
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