Save OPEN SPACE in Phoenixville. Start a Kindergarten Working Group to do the Right Thing

WHAT’S THE RUSH?

On March 14, the Phoenixville Area School District (PASD) School Board deadlocked on whether to sell the 7.4 acre Kindergarten Center at 100 School Lane to Toll Brothers to redevelop into 80+ high-density multifamily dwellings. The decision to postpone the vote occurred because of strong public opposition and a 4-4 tie in the voting. The vote is planned for March 28 when all 9 members are in attendance. Neighbors and Open Space advocates say there is no community awareness and consensus regarding the sale of the property. No process was convened to get valuable stakeholder input from members of the PASD community. Valuable time and resources have already been spent, while vital steps in the due diligence process have been completely missed. It is not too late - there is hope!

OPEN SPACE -- ONCE IT'S GONE, IT'S GONE FOREVER

Land is a scarce resource that does not come with an expiration date. What’s the rush? Why not take the time for due diligence? There is no sense that the School District is considering the impact of the sale. There are too many open issues, no specifics in the proposals by developers, no environmental impact, no traffic safety studies and no clear vision for the future state of this property and the surrounding neighborhood.

THE PETITION

We, the undersigned residents of the Phoenixville Area School District, petition the School Board as the steward for the community, to immediately halt any plan to sell the 7.4 acre Kindergarten Center property at 100 School Lane to developers. Time is of the essence, stop the vote to sell, create a working group

CREATE A WORKING GROUP THAT IS OPEN AND TRANSPARENT

By signing this petition you are asking the School Board to pause and create a working group sub-committee committed to answering these questions and researching alternative solutions to development that best serve the community. We call for the formation of a Working Group, to include ALL interested stakeholders, whose purpose will be to determine the best use of the Property for the Community.

1.   No action be taken regarding the disposition of the Property until the findings of the K-Center Working Group have been presented to the Community
2.   Public discussions of the findings are held, with virtual and in person options, with Board minutes to be published on the School Board website in a timely fashion
3.   That no action to sell the Property be taken until the minutes of any meeting including discussion of this topic have been published for at least 14 days prior.

MAKE THE WORKING GROUP INCLUSIVE

We ask the PASD School Board and the Borough of Phoenixville to build a partnership with community, non-profits, businesses and university organizations to WORK TOGETHER. It is important that not only the School Board and Borough be involved, but also residents, students, environmental land trusts as well as all the business owners along 2nd Avenue. Together we can secure state, local and not-for-profit funding sources to do the right thing for the community by creating a new park and educational / intern opportunities for the school district students.

EXPLORE THESE OPTION

PASD School Board and the Borough of Phoenixville to consider the following uses:

FOR THE OPEN SPACE :
Community Garden, Phoenixville Greenway Trailhead, Environmental Center, Community Tree Nursery, Expanded Woods and Future Train Station.

FOR THE BUILDING USE
Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Math (STEAM) Education, Environmental Education, Food Education, Arts Center, Music Studio, Teen Center, Community Art, Regional Sustainability/ Resilience Education, Non-profit / University leased space for Environmental Research

TELL THE SCHOOL BOARD TO DO THE RIGHT THING!

PLEASE ACT NOW - SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!