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Remember Parkhouse is a non-partisan, grassroots group of citizens advocating for the responsible use of the the 180 acres surrounding Parkhouse Providence Pointe at 1600 Black Rock Road, Upper Providence Township. Since 2013, these parcels of previously County- and Township-designated Open Space has been threatened by development due to the careless decisions of local politicians who have used this precious land as a political football.
On March 6, 2014, Josh Shapiro, Leslie Richards, and Bruce Castor adjourned from a regular Montgomery County Commissioners meeting and finalized the sale of ~180 acres of open space in Upper Providence Township behind closed doors.
They did this over the vocal and protracted objections of Upper Providence Township and its residents.
Sometime in the fall of 2020, current Township Supervisors, Helene Calci and Laurie Higgins met privately with landowner, Scott Rifkin. On January 19, 2021, the inevitable development plans we feared were revealed in a public meeting. The plan that was presented does not in any way conform with the Township's existing zoning, yet Supervisors Calci and Higgins directed it be placed on the agenda for presentation to the rest of the Board. In spite of almost a month to notify residents that a plan for the piece of land subject to the most controversial sale in Montgomery County history was being presented at a public meeting, Calci and Higgins told no one to the plans inclusion on the agenda.
Join us to stop this irresponsible development and work for a plan that respects the history of the property and maintains the character of the neighborhood.
On January 19, 2021, almost seven years after the controversial sale of 220 acres of open space in Upper Providence Township, the developer presented his vision for the property to the Township at a public meeting. The only protection this land now has is the Township's zoning code. The plan presented on January 19th, previewed and recommended by Supervisors Helene Calci and Laurie Higgins, and placed on the agenda by Chairman Bill Starling, IN NO WAY conforms to the Township's existing zoning.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
On March 6, 2014, the Montgomery County Commissioners, Josh Shapiro, Leslie Richards and Bruce Castor closed on the sale of Parkhouse and the surrounding 220 acres of designated open space in Upper Providence Township, and by privatizing it, forever made this gem of a property vulnerable to development. This page outlines the timeline of significant events surrounding the most controversial land sale in Montgomery County history, up to, and including, the proposed development plan presented on January 19, 2021.
The Effort
Before the sale closed, members of the grassroots Parkhouse group held numerous protests around Montgomery County in an effort to influence the Commissioners and raise awareness about the unprecedented sale of open space. Our grassroots effort has been activated again due to the non-conforming plan presented in January 2021. Find out how you can join our effort to preserve what we can of this historic property.
1. VOTE NO on Helene Calci and Rajan Bansal for Township Supervisor on November 2, 2021
2. TELL your friends about this issue
3. JOIN us on Facebook and Instagram
4. DONATE to our Go Fund Me to aid in our public education efforts
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