The Lower Merion (Pennsylvania) school board has voted unanimously to sell a controversial tract of land that it had planned to use for athletic fields.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the district is selling the 13-acre former Oakwell estate to Natural Lands, a large nonprofit conservation organization.
Under the deal, the 10 acres of Oakwell off County Line Road will be sold for $9.9 million and split between Natural Lands and an additional nonprofit not yet named. An adjacent three-acre property, known as Acorn Cottage, will be sold to Natural Lands for $2.9 million.
In 2019, the district paid $9.9 million when it took Oakwell through condemnation. The district intended to use at least part of Oakwell for ball fields for nearby Black Rock Middle School, which opened in 2022.
The condemnation prompted opposition from the property owner and neighbors, who sought to preserve the estate. In the face of the community opposition to Lower Merion's plans, the district reconsidered the plan and began looking at selling the property.
Completion of the sale means that none of the land will be used for athletic fields, said Amy Buckman, a district spokesperson.
“While the need remains for additional off-site fields to accommodate all of the Black Rock Middle School teams, [district] leadership wanted to respond to community sentiment for preservation of the site as it continues to seek other solutions,” Buckman said.
Last year, the school district reached an agreement with Lower Merion and Haverford Townships to use a new site for middle school athletic fields instead of Oakwell. The school district and townships said Black Rock Middle School would instead use the nearby Bryn Mawr Polo Field for baseball and softball.
