Upper Dublin narrows transportation facility search to two off-market sites; board told further steps would be executive session

Upper Dublin administrators told the Feb. 18 Finance Committee they have narrowed a multi-year search for a permanent transportation facility to two potential off-market opportunities after reviewing 15 candidate properties with broker Avison Young.

Andy told the committee the district has leased its current facility at 275 New Jersey Drive since 2008 at a cost of about $500,000 per year and needs a property of roughly three acres and a building of about 10,000 square feet to accommodate maintenance, parking and offices. The district's criteria emphasized in-district locations when feasible but allowed consideration of sites near the township border.

"Of those 15 properties considered, only two remain under consideration at this point," Andy said, adding that one candidate is in-district and one is outside the township. He said neither property is listed for sale, so any approach would likely begin with a nonbinding letter of intent and that further negotiations and offers would be handled in executive session.

The committee asked about cost estimates to repair the existing leased parking lot and whether options such as Temple Ambler might be viable; staff said those are complex questions requiring further evaluation and that Temple Ambler indicated it was only beginning an evaluation and would likely take 12 to 18 months.

Andy said the district has extended its current lease through June 2029, giving time to evaluate property feasibility, conduct site visits (neither of the two remaining sites has been toured because they are off-market) and pursue formal steps if the board directs them to do so. He cautioned there is no guarantee a property owner would be willing to sell.