When Kennedy Township officials called for bids on a piece of township-owned property adjacent to Fairhaven Park, they wondered if anyone would be interested in buying it and turning it into a neighborhood of single-family homes.
They now have their answer.
Four groups submitted bids on the 19.5-acre parcel and all of them met the minimum acceptable bid amount of $750,000. The bids were opened Monday afternoon during a brief meeting at the township Municipal Building, and they will now be scrutinized by the township solicitor to make sure they meet all the required standards.
According to a public notice that called for the bids, the property is to be used for the development of at least 32 single-family home lots. The notice states that if more than 32 lots are feasible then the buyer would need to pay the township an additional $25,000 per each additional single-family residential lot.
A handful of people attended Monday’s bid opening, including a representative of one of the bidding parties.
Gregory Clarke, the township manager, said Monday that the bid results would be posted on the township website within 48 hours of Monday’s 2 p.m. opening.
The bids, from lowest to highest, are as follows:
- $775,000 by Horizon Properties Group, based in Canonsburg.
- $805,000 by Greg Heinemann and Thomas DiOrio of TMFD Land Group. DiOrio, who attended Monday’s meeting, provided a Robinson Township address for his group.
- $1,010,000 by D.R. Horton of Sewickley.
- $1,400,000 by Sample Development Corp., which listed a Pittsburgh address.
The property sale could come up when the township Board of Commissioners meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at the Municipal Building, 340 Forest Grove Road.
Clarke said the board ultimately will have the final say on whether the property is sold, but that decision won’t necessarily be made Thursday.
“By law, they don’t have to,” he said. “Because it’s a process, the township will take due diligence to go through (the bids). There are requirements to the deed that state certain things. Our solicitors will go through, and everything will be done according to the law.
“We have followed the law. That’s a statement that will be made by the solicitor at Thursday’s meeting.”
News of the township’s decision to call for bids on the property has caused a stir among many residents, some of whom have taken to social media and even posting signs on utility poles within the township opposed to the idea. Among those signs is one that reads “Not Mels to Sell,” in reference to Mel Weinstein, the township’s treasurer/tax collector.
Clarke emphasized during Monday’s bid opening that the property’s fate rests with the Board of Commissioners.
“The value of the property, whatever that may be, will be something the Board of Commissioners will look at and decide,” he said. “They are the elected officials. Myself and Mr. Weinstein are appointed, and we do not make the decisions. Period. There’s no guarantees about anything.”
Clarke also emphasized that the township is following a process and following it correctly.
“The first process was, do we have a buyer?” he said. “Now we find out that we do. The next will be whatever the Board of Commissioners decides. That’s how it will be handled.”
More than 1,200 people have signed an online petition to prevent the sale of the property.
Several of those who signed the petition left comments saying said that developing the property for housing would be detrimental to people living nearby. Others are concerned about eliminating some much-needed green space and perhaps closing the door to any expansion of Fairhaven Park.
“I grew up right on Julia Lane,” one person wrote. “I spent a lot of time exploring those woods. So many amazing memories. Don’t take that away from future generations.”
Documents obtained by the Gazette indicate that the township acquired the property from the Allegheny County and what was then the township school district for a fee of $1 on July 3, 1951. Clarke said last month no documentation indicates the property must be used for a certain purpose. But a document that appears to be a deed indicates that the property is to be used for township park purposes and that any future sale of the land would need to be approved by the county and the township school district. Kennedy residents now attend the Montour School District.
As for the bidders, Horizon Property Group was founded in 2007 and specializes in the development and management of various products, including multifamily communities, according to the company website. TMFD Land Group is a domestic LLC formed in 2021 with a Mars, Pa., address, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State website.
D.R. Horton bills itself as “America’s builder” and claims to be the nation’s largest homebuilder by volume since 2002. During the 12-month period that ended March 31, Horton claims to have closed nearly 84,000 homes in its homebuilding operations, according to its website.
Sample was founded in 1986 and, according to its website, specializes in full site preparation and land clearing, among other things. Justin Brantner, a company vice president, said Tuesday he wasn’t interested in speaking about the Kennedy Township property until the township makes a decision on the bids.
Representatives from both Horton and Horizon could not be reached Tuesday. DiOrio, who said he has developed property in several area communities including Moon Township, said the Kennedy location looked promising as a small-lot single-family home community.
“That’s our vision,” he said. “There’s not much land left in Robinson and Kennedy. You have a good school system, quick access to I-79. If you look at the resale in Kennedy and the time homes are on the market, there’s not a lot there and what comes on doesn’t tend to stay on the market.”
This would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for a park expansion not more houses. Once the property is gone, you’ll never get the opportunity again.
Park expansion and green space is the answer! We live in a time that nature isn’t seen as valuable until it is developed and hasn’t anyone see the Lorax? We know how this story could end. I feel like this decision should be up to the community.