Delco Officially Preserves 240-Acre Open Space

On Monday, officials from Delaware County, Concord Township, the Conservation Fund, the Mount Cuba Center, and the Brandywine Conservancy gathered to announce the future acquisition of the Beaver Valley property in Concord Township in Delaware County.

The groups mentioned together are planning to purchase the property from Woodlawn Trustees Inc., a Delaware real estate company, and developers Eastern States Development Co. and the McKee Group, according to a county press release.

An agreement between Woodlawn Trustees, Eastern States Development, The McKee Group and The Conservation Fund has been reached to protect the historic property and the agreement outlines the necessary terms for the protection of the property — including raising sufficient funding, which will required conservation groups raising an additional $8 million— to assure that this important acquisition can be completed by spring 2017, according to the county and Conservation Fund officials.

"County Council is thrilled to have worked with Concord Township to preserve this beautiful piece of land for our residents to enjoy,” Delaware County Council Vice Chair Colleen Morrone said in a statement. “This serves as a model for future open space initiatives and we look forward to working together with other municipal leaders and conservation groups to preserve open space throughout our county.”

Morrone said acquiring the property for public use is a "success story for the entire community" and went on to say the 240-acre property has been used by the public for generations and now is ensured to be a public area for future generations.

Delaware County Council contributed $250,000 and Concord Township contributed $500,000 towards the purchase. All money spent by the county was funded through ACT 13, also known as the natural gas impact fee, meaning no county tax dollars were used for the purchase.

Adding the Beaver Valley property to the county's public spaces now totals 1,116 acres of county-owned parks and conservation areas and 17,000 acres of protected open space thanks to county, federal, state, school districts, municipal governments, and private conservation efforts.

The Brandywine Conservancy is accepting contributions to be used for the purchase of Beaver Valley. Contributions can be sent to Kim Reynolds, Director of Development, Brandywine Conservancy and Museum, P.O. Box 141, Chads Ford, PA 19317.

Image via Delaware County