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Upper Dublin to seek lease extension and relaunch real-estate search for transportation facility; committee prefers staying in township
Summary
The finance committee asked administration to begin lease-extension talks for the transportation facility at 275 New Jersey Drive (lease ends 6/30/2026) and to reissue an RFP for real-estate services to find a property within Upper Dublin Township that meets operational criteria (minimum ~3 acres; ~10,000 sq ft building preferred).
The Upper Dublin School District Finance Committee on March 19 directed the administration to start lease-extension discussions for the current transportation facility and to issue a request for proposals to re-engage real-estate agents to search for candidate properties inside Upper Dublin Township.
District staff member Andy Lekman summarized options considered during earlier work with JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) and recommended two immediate steps: (1) contact the owner of 275 New Jersey Drive, where the district currently leases its transportation facility (lease expires June 30, 2026), and (2) issue an RFP to real-estate brokers to evaluate available properties in the township against agreed criteria.
Operational criteria presented to the committee included a preference for properties within Upper Dublin Township (to limit deadhead mileage and preserve state transportation subsidy), a minimum of roughly 3 acres of land, a building of approximately 10,000 square feet (about 2,000 sq ft of office and 8,000 sq ft for vehicle maintenance/storage), and sufficient parking for mechanics, grounds staff and drivers. Lekman cautioned that many district-owned or township-zoned sites would not allow a transportation facility and that purchase or redevelopment costs could add millions if a purchased property required demolition.
Why the committee favored staying local: Lekman explained the state transportation subsidy (the district cited about $600,000 currently) is tied to operational efficiency; moving a facility farther from the student population increases mileage with buses not carrying students and can reduce the state subsidy while increasing fuel and wage costs. Board members said they remained open to “nearby” properties outside the township if immediate adjacency would not materially increase deadhead miles, but the committee emphasized the operational disadvantages of a distant site.
The committee asked administration to consider floodplain and other site constraints in the RFP and to treat the current lease extension talks as a priority so operations remain stable while the long-term search continues. The administration said it will prepare RFP language, solicit proposals from brokers, and return to the committee with recommendations.
Representative quote: Lekman told the committee, “If the committee agrees, then what we'll do right now, the recommended next steps, engage in extension conversations at 275 New Jersey Drive and start a process to request proposals from real estate agents, to do an evaluation of properties in the township.”
Ending: The committee gave the administration direction to begin lease-extension talks and relaunch a broker-led property search; no binding purchase or development decision was made.
