Monday, March 17, 2014

Parkhouse Sale Finalized

By Dan Clark, The Times Herald

The geriatric facility in Upper Providence, which has been run by the county for the past 76 years, sold for $41 million on March 6 during a two hour-long recess at one of the commissioners’ bi-monthly meetings. The price of the facility was originally slated to be $39 but then the county sold the 70 acres across the street and bought it back for $2 million from Mid-Atlantic Health Care, LLC.
By buying back the land across the street from the facility, the county has been able to permanently protect the land as legally open space which means it cannot be built on. The 70 acres of land will continue to be used as a public park as it has been in the past.
Under current zoning laws, only 15 of the roughly 237 acres Mid-Atlantic now owns can be developed on but only with the express consent of the Upper Providence Township Supervisors.
“If any development ever happens there, Upper Providence is in 100 percent control of the process,” Montgomery County Solicitor Raymond McGarry said in an interview on Friday.
Residents of the area will also be able to use the unoccupied land surrounding Parkhouse as they have been in the past.
“For the first five years, at least, the land will remain available for public access in the same manner that is available for them today. During that first four and half years, before that time period expires, Mid-Atlantic is required to meet with representatives of the board of supervisors of Upper Providence as well as representatives from Montgomery County’s Lands Trust,” McGarry said.

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