A Montgomery County judge has ruled in favor of residents who oppose a plan to build a $5.5 million municipal complex on an Upper Pottsgrove Township farm set aside for open space, writes Frank Kummer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The decision by Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey S. Saltz affirms that land obtained for open space under state law has to remain so.
Additionally, the judge issued an injunction ordering Upper Pottsgrove’s Board of Commissioners to withdraw a bid for construction.
“We had a solid case and a great attorney who knew the law,” said Matthew Murray, a resident who spearheaded the efforts to keep the land as open space. “I thank God our prayers were answered, and justice prevailed.”
The 36-acre property known as the Smola Farm was acquired by local officials in 2008 from Thomas Smola for $450,000 to “utilize it for township open space.” A subsequent group of commissioners decided in 2020 to use 3.2 acres of the farm for a new municipal complex and argued this would save taxpayers money.
Read more about the Upper Pottsgrove open space suit in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
