Officials hold talks with ‘Martin tract’ owner

UPPER GWYNEDD » Just weeks after tabling talks on the township’s possible acquisition of a large property, Upper Gwynedd officials have an update.

The township’s commissioners reported Monday night that talks are ongoing with the owner of the “Martin Tract” discussed last month.

“At our last meeting, we had a lengthy discussion regarding the Martin Tract, and we agreed to meet with the property owner again, as staff had previously met with the property owner’s representative several times,” said commissioner Denise Hull.

“We decided to meet with the actual owner, per his request, for another discussion regarding the property,” she said.

In September the commissioners announced plans to acquire by eminent domain a 32-acre parcel located south of Allentown Road, bounded by Broad Street to the east and the Lehigh Valley Dairy complex to the west.

At the time, the board said the potential acquisition was driven by a concept in the township’s August comprehensive plan update featuring trails, parking, and other amenities there. That public discussion drew an immediate response from property owner Tom Martin the following week, who said he had not been contacted by the current board or staff, and had proposed to prior officials a plan that would develop part of the property and leave the rest undeveloped for public use.

At the start of Monday night’s board meeting, township solicitor Lauren Gallagher announced that since the September board meeting, all five commissioners “did meet with a property owner and his representatives” on Oct. 5.

“At that meeting, no action was taken, and no deliberation occurred,” Gallagher said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting just after, a comment read by resident Tom Borneman on behalf of candidate Michelle Rupp, a Republican running for a seat on the board of commissioners in next month’s election, addressed the topic with words echoing a letter to the editor submitted by the candidate.

“A recently published letter to the editor (from Martin) highlighted an attempt to condemn property, and seize it under eminent domain. The owner had never been approached by the board of commissioners to discuss a sale,” Rupp said.

“This approach to managing township business is a blatant disregard for the rights of private property, and a serious disrespect for local residents,” she said.

After the public comment and other board business, Hull added detail, reading a statement with the latest update.