Parking addition moves ahead
Board votes ahead agreement to add parcel near park
HATFIELD TWP. » More parking near Schweiker Park on the border of Hatfield and Lansdale is now another step closer.
Hatfield’s township commissioners took another step toward acquiring a parcel adjacent to the park, a move township officials said should help fix parking problems there.
“Everyone in the area, that lives around Schweiker Park, knows that there’s a problem with a lack of parking, especially on weekends when there’s tournaments being played,” said Township Manager Aaron Bibro.
“We are approving an agreement of sale for what will be a subdivided parcel, which will provide an additional 32 parking spaces for Schweiker Park, and all the activities that go on there,” he said.
Residents have complained in recent years about parking problems at and near the park, which is located east of Moyer Road and is jointly owned and maintained by both Lansdale Borough and Hatfield Township. Earlier this month, both municipalities announced plans to acquire part of a property between two parking lots adjacent to the park, and convert what is now a grassy lawn across from Schwab Road into a new parking lot.
“We’ve said many times over the last few weeks, it’s not a perfect solution,” said Bibro.
A sale agreement with the property owner was signed by both parties on Wednesday, accord-
ing to Bibro, and with approval from the township commissioners, staff will begin the process of subdividing that parcel from the neighboring house, finalizing plans and acquiring further approvals.
“We will go through the subdivision process over the next few months, and settle on the property before the end of this calendar year, and hopefully begin the project in late winter or early spring,” Bibro said.
“The parking lot should be ready to go for the baseball season and softball season” in spring 2018, he said.
Last week Lansdale’s borough council voted to advertise an ordinance to allow an intermunicipal agreement between the two municipalities spelling out that acquisition and conversion to a parking lot, and the same advertisement ordinance was included in a package approved by Hatfield’s commissioners Wednesday night. The agreement spells out how the estimated cost of just over $200,000 will be split evenly between both towns, and Bibro said the property’s assessed value is $104,500, construction costs are estimated at roughly $90,000, and subdivision and settlement costs are estimated at another $20,000.
Three other motions were part of the same package approved by the board, including a resolution allowing what Bibro called a friendly condemnation of the parcel.
“This allows the property owner, the seller, to avoid certain taxes associated with the transfer of the property. It’s an advantage to the seller, and it’s been a cooperative situation from the beginning,” he said.
Also included in the package was a right of first refusal agreement, giving Hatfield the first priority if and when the property owner selling the parking lot parcel decides to sell the rest of the land they own.
“The property owner cannot sell to anyone else except the township, unless the township should decide not to buy it at that time,” Bibro said. If and when that happens, he said, similar agreements and motions will be needed: “we’d pretty much have to do every step again.”
The formal intergovernmental agreement between Hatfield and Lansdale will now be advertised for public comment and review, and the two towns could formally approve it at public meetings in October. Hatfield’s commissioners next meet at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the township administration building, 1950 School Road; for more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.HatfieldTownship.org or follow @HatfieldPA on Twitter.