Hundreds of members of the public packed Kennedy Township’s Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday evening to ask the township to prevent a housing development from going in next to Fairhaven Park.
The saga has been going on for a couple weeks with more than 1,200 people having signed an online petition to keep the township from selling a 19.5-acre parcel. Some residents have taken to social media and even posted signs on utility poles within the township opposed to the idea.
The board took questions, comments and suggestions during Thursday’s standing-room only meeting. No vote was taken regarding the land sale, which was the subject of a bidding process that began in the middle of last month.
“To dispel any rumors, nothing has been signed, and nothing has been done,” township Manager Gregory Clarke said. “It’s a process, and it’s a process that I believe you and the board should look at for the benefit of everyone in the community, not just a certain few.”
According to a public notice that called for the bids, the property behind Clever Road and across from Fairhaven Park is proposed 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.
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 Vince Tucceri to make sure they meet all the required standards.
“I think that there was some perception that the quote/unquote ‘park’ was being sold, or out for bid,” Tucceri said. “The truth of the matter is that it never was the park. It was this 20 plus acres that is separated from the park by roughly a 100-foot Duquesne Light right of way. That was never contemplated, (because) part of the comprehensive plan, of redoing the park because it does need to be redone for future generations.”
Clarke explained the project to the audience, stating that there are a lot of improvements that need to be done in the township, including the park, and the township was able to secure a $600,000 grant from U.S. Rep. Christopher Deluzio for the park. He said nothing will be done to the park in terms of development, but possible renovations in the future.
“It doesn’t move as fast as we would like — money doesn’t come to us along with grants as fast as we’d like,” Clarke said. “The township is a taxing body. We don’t make anything, we don’t do anything to create money other than taxes. So when a development opportunity comes to this township, we look at it as an opportunity for the Board of Commissioners to see if this is something that will work.”
Clarke told the Gazette that the township does not have any documents or records pertaining to the acquisition of the parcel along with the former School District of Kennedy Township and Allegheny County dated June 4, 1945. Clarke also told the Gazette that the township does not have a record or document of the resolution of the transfer of the property to the township on July 3, 1951. Documents obtained by the Gazette indicate that the township acquired the property from Allegheny County and what was then the township school district for a fee of $1 on July 3, 1951.
The Gazette also obtained a document that appears to be a deed that indicates 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, which is Montour School District. The benefit to the school district, if the property was developed, would be around $5,500,000 over 10 years.
Clarke explained that the proposed housing development would not be on the park property, but nearby in a R-1 zoning district. The park is also in the R-1 zoning district, which is a low-density, single-family residential use area.
The lowest bid the township received out of four was from Horizon Properties Group, based in Canonsburg, for $775,000. The high bid was for $1.4 million from Sample Development Corp. of Pittsburgh.
If the sale to Horizon were to take place, according to Clarke, it would bring in $1.5 million in liquid capital funds and requires zero taxpayer risk. Horizon also has 36 town homes on Crown Street.
The public notice that advertised the bids, published on May 16, indicated the highest responsible bidder would be in position to obtain the property if the township decided to move forward with the sale.
According to Clarke, that $1.5 million would go into the township’s infrastructure, which he said is needed and that the board was looking to do as a way to bring funding in. The housing plan-generated revenue could also go into other work being done in the township, including Fairhaven Park renovations.
Tucceri said nothing nefarious has been going on with regard to the potential land sale, to which the audience laughed. He said any money received from the sale of this property would have to go back into the park itself, and the consent of the county and the school district would be necessary in order for the sale to occur.
The whole concept of soliciting bids is very specific, Tucceri said. The bid advertisement states that the Board of Commissioners has the right to refuse or reject any and all bids, according to Tucceri, that putting out bids is “an exploratory practice” to see if somebody had any interest in the property and they haven’t had the chance to look at the bids yet.
“We just received these proposals to see whether they make any sense,” Tucceri added. “Furthermore, we haven’t had the opportunity to hear from you, and I think it’s important, and I think (commissioners) believe it’s important that they do hear from you with regard to this. What we wanted to do was to simply dispel the rumor that we were selling the park.”
Several residents spoke during Thursday’s meeting, and had concerns about the potential development’s stormwater and sewage management along with asking for more transparency. Clarke said the bids were advertised, and it was on public agendas to see if this was a feasible project to do.
Resident Loran Hickton asked when the decision was made to put the property out for bid, to which Tucceri said there was a public meeting for the bids to be voted on to go out to developers. Hickton also asked where the idea of having a development came from, and Clarke said the township is a very desirable community.
“I think part of the problem that people are having with everything is, was it actually public at the meeting where you guys decided to investigate bids, or the potential to do that because nobody that I’ve talked to seems to know that that even happened until they saw the newspaper,” resident John McCann said. “That’s where people are getting the underhanded part from, and they didn’t know about it until recently.”
Resident Timothy Brenan suggested that the public take a vote on the possible development, and asked if residents on Clever Road could buy a buffer zone between their properties, and the possible housing property. Clarke said it is up to commissioners to make the final vote, and township engineer Mike Meyer said there is already a buffer zone that is included.
A board member of Park Place Home Owners Association, which is right near the park, stated that they do not see the benefit of a new development, and since there might be access to the development through Park Place, he said the roads are not suitable for more traffic.
Parks and Recreation Board member Anthony Scalise suggested expanding the park to the adjacent property to provide for the community for future generations, instead of developing in another area across from the park.
He suggested other areas that could be developed instead and said those properties do not come at the cost of replacing public land. Jack Reidy, who also is on the recreation board, cited continued expansion of the park is in the best interest of residents and the township’s government.
“The idea of transforming this portion of land next to our beloved park into a space where people can heal within nature is a true investment in the lives of our township’s residents,” resident Ashlyn Polo said. “Change can certainly be a good thing, but it’s up to you folks to choose the right kind of change. By choosing to build more housing over the enrichment of lives in Kennedy Township, it is clearly expressed that financial gain is more important to the township than human life.”
Parks and Recreation chair Fred Kauffman said the Board of Commissioners is listening to what everyone has said, and they are taking into account the feelings of the public for their best interests.
Treasurer and tax collector Mel Weinstein thanked everyone for speaking and addressed the signs at the park that say “Not Mels to Sell,” to which he responded that it was a cheap shot, and he had no vote on this project.
“My voice will be heard, and the outcome of this will be based on you, and the answer to this problem,” Weinstein said. “There’s two sides to every story. Not one, not two, maybe three. The information was getting out one-sided, yet there are two sides to every story. There is a lot to take under consideration.”
A public hearing and more discussion of the park and development’s futures will take place at next month’s Board of Commissioners meeting, which is set for 6 p.m. July 9 at 340 Forest Grove Rd. along with the possible voting for the bids.
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.
Thanks for continuing to provide coverage of this story so citizens are informed of what is happening in Kennedy township. I hope this land adjacent to the park can be used for recreational purposes instead of more homes.