Residents concerned over possible Preston Park development
BUTLER TWP — Several dozen residents attended Wednesday’s township board of commissioners meeting to articulate their disdain for the potential development of a parking lot near Preston Park.
The crowd, which filled every seat in the meeting room and spilled into the hallway, attended the meeting despite the only agenda item being the introduction of a services ordinance. No proposal or item related to Preston Park or any development was set for review by the board.
Before beginning the public comment session, township solicitor Rebecca Black said commissioners have not had any business related to any development brought before them, although soil testing did take place at a parcel near the park that is owned by the township.
She said if the township was going to develop the park, or any space within township borders, a land development application would have to be submitted, approved by the township planning commission and then the commissioners.
“Nothing is currently before this board,” Black said. “This potential parking is proposed as a theoretical use of the property at some unknown point in the future. This is nothing that has been definitively discussed or established."
Black said the township acquired the 88-acre park from the Preston estate around 2010. The only process that has taken place on the parcel is soil testing, which Black said is “very, very early” in a development process.
“We are addressing it tonight as you are addressing it,” Black told those in attendance.
Seventeen people spoke at the meeting in opposition to developing the parcel. Many said putting a parking lot in the space could lead to the loss of wildlife and green space, a fluctuation in property values and that development would be against the wishes of Frank and Jane Preston. Additionally, some residents said the parking lot already installed at Preston Park is rarely utilized, and a larger one likely would be needed only a few times a year.
Residents also said they would rather see the township invest in adding more green space and recreation opportunities in the park and the land parcel where the soil was tested.
Meridian resident Marion Rice was the first to speak and said she met with township manager Tom Knights who discussed potential plans for development on the parcel.
She said a parking lot for the park would not be worth the effect it would have on the local community, and the nature it preserves.
“We feel that there is no justification for a parking lot to be put into place for a handful of events throughout the year,” Rice said. “People want to go to Preston Park to enjoy nature as it is; the trails that currently exist provide an excellent opportunity to enjoy the wildlife and education.”
Lyndora resident Karen Spurck said she and her husband walk at the park regularly.
“Preston Park isn’t real big, but it’s unique to this area, and it needs to be preserved,” she said.
Steve Huey said he lives adjacent the property near Preston Park, and rarely sees more than four cars parked in the park’s lot.
“You are affecting the neighbors right next door that have lived there for years,” Huey said.
