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Council accepts 13‑acre easement aimed at extending French Creek Trail
Summary
Council approved an easement over roughly 13 acres behind Tommy’s Car Wash and the Giant supermarket to enable a future extension of the French Creek Trail, connecting to Veterans Park and potentially the Schuylkill River Trail. The solicitor said the grant is intended for trail, recreational and open-space uses; bridges and grant funding remain to be secured.
Council voted July 14 to accept a 13‑acre easement the borough’s solicitor described as a major step toward extending the French Creek Trail behind commercial parcels on Nutt Road. The two parcels (UPI 15‑7‑17.1B and 15‑8‑16.5) sit along French Creek between Tommy’s Car Wash and the Giant supermarket; the easement would cover most of the acreage except for an area containing stormwater-management infrastructure, the solicitor said.
Solicitor and staff briefed council on the property configuration and said the owner approached the borough offering the easement. The parcel spans both sides of French Creek in places, abuts Westridge Village and links near a storage center and Veterans Park. Councilors and staff described the acceptance as the “first big domino” for a trail connection that could later require bridge construction; the solicitor said the borough will pursue grants over several years to cover bridge costs.
Councilors and nearby residents said the easement would expand public access while retaining large swaths of relatively wild land along the creek. One councilor, who identified as a Westridge resident, said the corridor contains wetlands and wildlife and expressed support for balancing access with preservation. Council approved the easement resolution unanimously.
Next steps noted by staff include negotiating remaining landowner agreements for parcels between the newly granted easement and the borough’s existing trail network and seeking external funding for any required structures such as a bridge over French Creek.
