Franklin Estates Residents Association

FE Expansion Discussed at Council Meeting

Feb 02, 2004

At the January 21st Murrysville Council Meeting, the formal, written plans submitted by IDC for expansion to Franklin Estates was briefly discussed. Mayor Somers indicated that this was a topic of interest to her for the past 8 years, and that she was pleased with the proposal.

A piece of land, known as the "Loveless parcel" (the former sewage treatment plant) which is owned by Murrysville will be given to IDC for future development of 18 homes making up 2 cul-de-sacs at the end of Mt. Vernon. In exchange for the "Loveless parcel," 40 acres of land between Jefferson and Lexington will be given by IDC and denoted as 'greenspace.' Additionally, a "tot lot" (as Mayor Somers referred to it) along with about 4-5 parking spaces will be part of our neighborhood. The 'tot lot' will have some playground equipment and possibly a picnic area. A $30,000 donation will be received to equip this area.

Based on this proposal, the Mayor and Council believed that this meets the expectations and desires of the majority of FE residents, as expressed by the FERA Board of Directors. As it stands, Council will ask the solicitor to proceed with making the 'land swap' of the Loveless parcel with the greenspace between Jefferson & Lexington. Council agreed in principle with this proposal, but wanted to see more specific data before formally approving.

Should all go according to plan, it will probably take about 3-6 months to begin the project. The street build-out of Mt Vernon would likely take place this Summer, while the 'tot lot' should be complete in Summer 2005.

A HUGE thank you to Mayor Somers and Solveig Peters who have both kept the greenspace and park area for Franklin Estates in the forefront of their efforts for so many years!! This is a great solution to so many people's desires!!