Meadow Brook Golf Club owners file objection to eminent domain seizure

CHESTER COUNTY

Meadow Brook owners file objection

PHOENIXVILLE The owners of a Phoenixville golf course being seized by eminent domain have filed an objection claiming the school district could have chosen a more suitable property to house a new elementary school.

Bill Hagner, attorney for two of the owners of the Meadow Brook Golf Club, said the owners are also objecting to the Phoenixville Area School District's seizing all 52 acres rather than a smaller portion.

"Their stated reason is an elementary school and maybe a playground and that kind of thing, which is probably a two- to five-acre project rather than 52 acres," Hagner said.

The school district voted last month to take the golf course by eminent domain after more than seven years of searching for a property to build an elementary school and early learning center. School officials say the district considered more than 90 properties and settled on Meadow Brook because of its size, location in the district, and position next to the middle and high schools, allowing the district to create a single campus.

Now that an objection has been filed, Hagner said a judge will decide if the seizure is legal. The owners of the golf course had been ordered to turn over the property to the school district by Thursday, but Hagner said that transfer will be delayed during the appeal. - Tricia L. Nadolny