Eminent Domain Of Small Tract In Phoenixville Approved By Council

PHOENIXVILLE, PA —Phoenixville Borough Council voted 5 to 2 in favor of an ordinance to acquire a 2,636 square-feet plot of land off Ashburn Road through the eminent domain process for an emergency road.

Eminent domain is a legal process that allows the government to take over a property.

Council members said during a meeting Tuesday that the land is required to provide adequate access for emergency vehicles to the Odessa development, which has not yet been constructed.

Council members Dana Dugan and Brian Moore voted against the ordinance.

The land is off Ashburn Road and is considered “community open space.”

With the borough taking over the property, the borough will be responsible for maintenance of the road.

Officials said it will take about a year for the road to be complete.

The Odessa development calls for 156 stacked townhomes and 224 mid-rise apartments.

Residents Speak Out

Before the vote, a handful of residents from nearby Fillmore Village asked councul to delay action of the ordinance until council members have an opportunity to tour the area.

• Tom DeLuca said Fillmore Village residents are opposed to the land being taken over by the borough to connect to the housing development Odessa.
• Andrew Karnawski, a board member of Fillmore Village Homeowners Association, described Fillmore is a community of seniors and young professionals.
• Jane Dugdale, of the borough’s Green Team, urged the council to keep the borough’s land open.

After the vote, DeLuca vowed to get more involved in the borough's government.

“Who knows when and if Odessa will be built?” DeLuca questioned. “We are going to have school buses and trash trucks going down this road. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.”