County wants to buy, demolish 3 Ida-damaged homes
Plan would be to utilize as open space
Perkiomen Township properties damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida may soon serve a new purpose.
Montgomery County Commissioners have authorized representatives from the Montgomery County Planning Commission to apply for grant funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships Program to acquire parcels of land located near existing trails.
Specifically, the land is “adjacent to the Perkiomen Trail, the Rahns Road trailhead and existing County preserved open space,” the resolution states.
Trails and Open Space Planning Manager Bill Hartman noted during the March 17 Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting the land where the three homes sit totals two acres near Routes 29 and 113 in Perkiomen Township.
“Last month, the county engaged a real estate professional to negotiate the potential acquisitions with the individual landowners of the three parcels on behalf of the county, and that process is actively underway,” Hartman said. “Depending on the number of parcels we ultimately acquire, and the corresponding appraised land value, the grant request will be determined accordingly.”
Hartman noted that “county open space funds would serve as a required match for the grant,” and the county’s planning commission endorsed the proposed procurement to provide for further open space opportunities.
While the venture’s timeline is unclear, Hartman added that the properties would be destroyed once the land is acquired. When asked, a county spokesperson declined to give specifics on whether the buildings are currently occupied, citing the early stage of the funding application.
If allocated, the space “would be returned to a semi-natural state to accommodate future trailhead expansion, and improvements including ADA compliant access, and to establish additional public open space especially for people using the trail,” Hartman said.
In other business, county commissioners authorized a $70,715 agreement with Flyway Excavating Inc., of Lititz, Pennsylvania, during that same meeting. The five-figure contract covered the fixing of a stone bridge, located at Mill Grove, in Audubon, that was damaged by Ida.