'Free' Land ... Or With Strings Attached?

A 5.5-acre flood-prone piece of land will soon be township-owned.

Before ultimately voting to accept the donation of land situated at 4380 Davisville Road, the Upper Moreland Commissioners debated during Monday's meeting about whether the land donation was actually free, or a cost to the township.

"It’s always nice when someone gives you something," Commissioner Lisa Romaniello said, adding that accepting the property could warrant the need for stormwater management upgrades there in the future. "What are the risks? What are the liabilities? What really are the maintenance costs behind this?

"It could be more. It could be less," she said. "Everything you own ... does cost money to maintain it."

Commissioner Kevin Spearing, who abstained from voting, said he too, could not support the project. 

"There's too many unanswered questions," Spearing said. 

According to Spearing, a request was made a few years ago for the township to assume ownership of the property. The response then, Spearing said, was that "it wasn't in the best interest of the township to do it."

In all, the township will receive $14,500 along with the property, which has a stormwater basin on site, according to Commissioners Chairman R. Samuel Valenza. Of that amount, he said $7,000 is earmarked for the property's upkeep over the next five years and the remainder is to be used to remove concrete onsite. 

Commissioners Kip McFatridge, Donald Warner, Donna Parsell and Joe Lavalle voiced support for the land donation. 

"You don't get a chance usually to get free ground," McFatridge said. "It’ll retain some water. Those residents have asked me for years if it could be a park or anything else."

But, a resident who spoke during the meeting said he feared that the land would eventually be developed, potentially worsening stormwater conditions.

"Could the township sell it in the future? Could we develop it in the future?" He asked. "Will it be preserved as open space, or will it be a retention basin surrounded by townhouses?"

The township's attorney said the LaRosa family has not placed any deed restrictions on the property, meaning that, "The township has full rights to use the property as they deem fit in the future."

"That's what I'm afraid of," the resident said in response.