Evesham signs letter of intent to buy former Barton Run Swim Club and preserve nearly four acres as open space
In recent years, Evesham Township has been aggressive about acquiring land to preserve as open space.
A developer that planned to build six homes on the site of the closed Barton Run Swim Club in Evesham would sell the property to the township to preserve it as open space, according to a letter of intent from the town.
The 3.84-acre property on Lakeside Drive would be cleared by developer Orleans Investment Land Associates and Evesham would pay between $670,000 and $810,000 for the land, according to the township, which on Wednesday announced it had secured a $405,000 New Jersey Green Acres Program grant to help fund the purchase.
Evesham has budgeted from Township Open Space funds the balance of the purchase price, which is a range because it requires a Green Acres appraisal, Zane Clark, Evesham director of public information, said in an email.
Township council authorized the letter of intent at its meeting earlier this month.
“Once formal closing proceedings on the property are completed, and the land is restored to open space, the Township will begin engaging the community so residents can help plan for the future uses at the new park,” Clark wrote.
Orleans would be responsible for demolishing the clubhouse and pool, filling the land and planting grass at the club, which closed about 10 years ago.
Clark said the township also is seeking grants to finance rain gardens on the site.
“By securing this Green Acres funding and approving this letter of intent, we are protecting the neighborhood from further development and creating new open space for the public to enjoy,” Mayor Jaclyn Veasy said in a statement. “Once the land is under municipal ownership, the Township will ensure its safe upkeep and long-term care,” she added.
In recent years, Evesham Township has been aggressive about acquiring land to preserve as open space.
Projects have included preserving 176 acres of the former Beagle Club property on North Elmwood Road and purchasing 18 acres from the Board of Education off Greenbrook Drive in the Country Farms neighborhood.
However the town’s landmark preservation project, announced earlier this year, was the $15-million acquisition of 835 acres next to the Black Run Preserve by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. After the purchase, the township will assume ownership and oversee the preservation of the land. The Black Run Preserve, also owned by Evesham, covers 1,300 acres.
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