Coalition to make offer for Penn farm

Members of a group hoping to buy and preserve a University-owned farm in Bucks County say they plan to present Penn with a "viable" offer for the 211-acre property by next Friday's deadline. After the University put the property on the market last month, it extended the deadline for offers by three weeks in response to an outcry from neighbors, community members and legislators, who worried that a developer would buy the property and change the character of rural, wealthy Upper Makefield Township. The area is about 30 miles northeast of University City. Given to the University in the 1970s by the estate of Monroe and Edna Gutman, the farm carries a price tag of $5.5 million. Two developers have already submitted offers on the property, and University officials couldn't be reached yesterday for comment on those offers. "A lot of people have worked hard on this thing," said State Rep. David Steil (R-Bucks), one of the leaders of a coalition of neighbors and community members seeking to purchase the property. "I'd hate to see their efforts go down the drain." Four neighbors have each pledged $250,000 to the effort, and the township is ready to contribute another $600,000. Pennsylvania's farmland preservation program may also give some money to help buy the land, according to U.S. Rep. James Greenwood (R-Pa.), who is also closely involved with the campaign to purchase the property. The coalition, led by the Heritage Conservancy -- a nonprofit Bucks County organization that works to preserve land throughout the region and is contributing $50,000 to buy the farm -- hopes to raise enough money to give the University a down payment on the property, and then borrow the remainder of the funds. But the University has not indicated that it's willing to accept such an arrangement. "The University was given the farm with an expectation that we would use it well and apply those resources to the Graduate School of Fine Arts," University President Judith Rodin said earlier this week. "We have a fiduciary responsibility as a result of accepting that gift [to get the best price for the property]." Rodin wouldn't comment on whether the University would change the price or extend the deadline. "We have a number on the table," Rodin said. "And we are giving them time because they've asked for it." Penn hasn't yet revealed the value of the two offers from the developers, nor has it specified the latest price it wants for the farm. Still, the neighbors and groups say they appreciate the University's willingness to work with them. University officials are scheduled to meet Monday with members of the groups to discuss the situation. "[Community members] were very concerned about the future of the property," said Heritage Conservancy President Cliff David Jr. "I think there's much more of a cooperative effort at the moment. We're very happy with the way this is proceeding and we hope that it will work for everyone's benefit." The farm is "roughly divided" into "flat farmland" and a "steeper and wooded [area that] has buildings on it and is not very suitable for farming," according to Greenwood. To comply with state regulations, the group must find people who will use it for farming or a similar purpose that would preserve the property. One person has expressed interest in paying up to $17,000 per acre to use half of the property as a horse farm, Greenwood said. "We're not there yet," he said, adding that he's "very optimistic that we will figure out how to blend all of these interests into a package that preserves the farm."

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