Commissioners: Newly donated land must only be used for farming

A donated swath of land in South Whitehall Township will be used only for farmland, according to the township’s Board of Commissioners.

The board Wednesday accepted an anonymous donation of 26.87 acres at 1036 Springhouse Road and moved to have it permanently remain as farmland. By passing the resolution, 3-0, the board abides by the terms of the agreement, which stipulates that the property continue as farmland.

Commissioners Joe Setton and Ben Long were absent.

Director of Township Operations Randy Cope said the parcel’s centralized location, just south of Route 22, maintains the township’s commitment to the preservation of open space.

“It’s important to set up the property for long-term success,” he said.

The agreement of sale, which was arrived at in November, protects the property as open space “until that time that the township is unable to find someone to farm it,” Cope said.

He said the township will pursue long-term leases with farmers to ensure that goal is met.

The board’s action also keeps the land out of the cross-hairs of developers who might want to shift away from agriculture, although Cope couldn’t speak to any in particular.

“I do know there were multiple offers on the property,” he said.

The land’s Rural/R3 zoning allows for single-family homes, emergency response facilities, forestry and places of worship.

The agreement also allows for a small portion of the property to be utilized for active or passive recreational purposes, perhaps as a dog park or for a trail rimming the perimeter.

Such a trail would promote public access by connecting to parks, sidewalks and property occupied by the adjacent Parkland School District, said Cope.

But any use other than farming, he said, will not be coming anytime soon.

“Our immediate intention is to work with farmers for long-term preservation of the property as farmland,” said Cope.