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Souderton council approves sale of borough parcel to Franconia Township, aims to keep it as open space
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Summary
The Souderton Borough Council authorized the sale of a borough-owned parcel to Franconia Township and empowered the borough manager and president to execute sale documents; the meeting record shows inconsistent appraised-price figures that the borough will need to clarify.
Souderton Borough Council on Thursday authorized the sale of a borough-owned parcel (TMP 34-00-02611-00-1) to Franconia Township with the stated intent that the land remain open space.
The council moved and approved a resolution authorizing sale of the parcel and granting the borough president and borough manager authority to execute any documents necessary to complete the transaction. The motion passed on a voice vote with no opposing members recorded.
Why it matters: Council members said selling the parcel to Franconia Township would secure the land as open space and return funds to the borough. Councilors also noted the tract has been under borough ownership since 2009 and has not had an established long-term use.
What council said: A planning/administration speaker summarized the parcel’s history and reported that an appraisal had been completed. One councilor urged support for the sale because it preserves open space and returns the appraised value to the borough. “I think council is really excited about that,” one councilor said, advocating for the sale as a way to avoid undesirable commercial development.
A note on the record: the transcript contains two inconsistent appraised-price figures. In one segment a borough presenter states the post-sale price would be $570,000; later, when the chair read the motion aloud, the motion text includes an appraised sale price of $170,000. The council approved the motion as read, but the record should be clarified by the borough manager or solicitor before closing the sale.
Next steps: The resolution authorizes sale "as is" and delegates execution of sale documents to the borough manager and president; the borough indicated the agreement of sale must be in a form acceptable to the manager and solicitor. Council discussion suggested the borough will coordinate any necessary deed or open-space restrictions and return funds to the appropriate borough accounts.
The council moved on to other business after the vote.
