Lancaster Township officials taking steps to acquire new property
Lancaster Township officials expect to know whether or not they’ll be able to move ahead with purchasing property for a new municipal center by their Monday, Sept. 22, meeting.
Township manager Mary Hess said last week the conditions the sale hinges on will be reviewed before the township’s September meeting. If all contingencies are met, closing on the property could occur within 45 days.
Supervisors last month entered into a sales agreement for property owned by Davina Myers at 600 Perry Highway, contingent on three conditions — a second appraisal, an environmental review and property inspections.
The second appraisal of the property must meet or exceed the million-dollar price tag from the first appraisal, according to Hess. The property, which totals 12.93 acres, was appraised for $1 million in early June by an independent third party.
“Also it’s based on our ability to get financing, which we’ve already been assured that that’s not an issue,” Hess said.
If acquired, the property could allow the township to consolidate operations — including a police station, township administration offices and a community center — at a single site.
According to property records, the Perry Highway property includes two homes and four outbuildings. Hess said the township envisions renovating one home into a police station and another into administration offices, while using a large garage-style building for public works. A community center would be constructed between the two homes.
Part of the plan also calls for demolition of some structures, including a former print shop.
“The demolition would be included in what we planned in our grant monies,” Hess said.
The township has faced questions from residents skeptical of the purchase. Dozens of residents showed up at the Aug. 18 meeting to speak during a two-hour public comment period, imploring the township to avoid making the purchase. Despite the comments, following a short executive session, supervisors voted to move ahead so long as the contingencies were met.
Among their concerns were fears of losing the community center at 113 Kings Alley and Bauder Park.
Hess said those concerns are largely unfounded.
“The plan is to keep those properties. It’s a lot of extra maintenance for us, but we intend to keep that park,” Hess said.
She added the existing public works building could be leased, helping offset mortgage costs along with savings from no longer renting space for the police department, located currently at 113 Kings Alley.
“In the long run, it would save money,” Hess said. “It’s highly visible. It gives us the opportunity to have our accessibility much better there. And we had planned to build a big building, and it would cost double what this will cost.”
Hess emphasized all of the initial sketches released so far are only preliminary and are subject to change throughout the process.
“That was purely conceptual,” she said. “That was a quick rendering … We absolutely can (make changes). That’s not what the final product will be.”
If the contingencies are met and the purchase moves forward, township meetings would eventually move to the new site, though Hess said the current building would serve as a meeting space until a suitable community center is established on the property.
