West Vincent Twp Property Will Be Preserved By Conservation Trust

WEST VINCENT TOWNSHIP, PA — A 20-house subdivision is no longer being considered for a 57.4-acre West Vincent Township property that will be now be preserved forever by conservation trust French & Pickering.

The property contains streams that are tributaries to the French Creek, which the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection designated as having "exceptional value" and "high-quality waters," French & Pickering said in a news release.

It includes 3.7 acres of protected woodlands that are home to numerous land and aquatic creatures – including Bald Eagles nesting nearby – and 49.7 acres of rolling pasturelands that the Natural Resources Conservation Service considers "prime agricultural soils."

"This area will also protect biologically diverse meadow and grassland habitat, especially where it is comprised predominantly of native species," French & Pickering said in the news release.

The property, owned by Timothy and Amanda Maxwell, is visible to the public for more than a quarter of a mile along Saint Matthews Road, a designated scenic road in the West Vincent Township Open Space and Recreation Plan.

"Thanks to the Maxwells’ generosity, their property will continue to provide, maintain and improve water quality in our area, as well as reduce the need for public services required by development," Pam Brown, French & Pickering conservation director, said.

An easement on the property was funded by West Vincent Township and the Chester County Open Space Fund, the news release said.

French & Pickering has protected more than 13,000 acres in northern Chester County over the last five decades through purchases, conservation easements and public/private partnerships, the news release said.

Among those is a 50-acre plot and 100-acre plot, both located close to the property, that are also under easement with the group, it said in the news release. They are all in close proximity to 1,100 acres at Bryn Coed farm.

"Together these lands are critical to protecting the headwaters of the French Creek and the Pickering Creek, both tributaries of the Schuylkill River," French & Pickering said in the news release.