Kennett Township Board of Supervisors are excited to announce that they will create the first Kennett Township park on Bayard Road, adjacent to the Township Maintenance Garage facility. The Township worked in a collaborative effort with Michael Pia, Jr. and Stephanie Pia, the Deleeuw Family, the Township Land Conservation Advisory Committee (LCAC) and The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC) to purchase this property and preserve 45 acres which will become a Township park for passive recreation for the entire community to enjoy. Open Space Funds were used to pay for the $782,000 purchase of the site; almost 80% of this may be able to be recouped through grant funds in the future.

This property is truly bucolic with rolling hills, many beautiful trees and a beautiful row of Osage orange trees staggered along the road. The entire property originally consisted of 56 acres, of which the Pia family purchased the original historic home and barn with 11 acres, and the Township purchased the other 45 acres. This project has been in the making for about one year and it took great efforts from everyone to realize our goal to bring the park to fruition. Without the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in this project we would not have been able to make it happen. Not only is this the first ever Kennett Township park, it is the first property in the Township to utilize Transfer Development Rights to enable high density development in a more suitable area of the Township and restrict the development on this property, which is located in a high priority open space area. Michael Pia, Jr. purchased the development rights from the 56 acres, which he will transfer to a property on North Walnut Road to create a multi-use development. The Township and the Pia’s worked with The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County who will hold a conservation easement over the 56 acres. The Township will begin working on a passive recreation park which will include trails, sunflower and wildflower meadows, a community garden, two separate dog parks and a mowed grass area where children can throw a football or play some soccer. Access to the park will be through the maintenance garage entrance and will be open from dawn to dusk. We are delighted that the Deleeuw and Pia families agreed to work with the Township, the LCAC and TLC to facilitate this amazing open space acquisition. We look forward to continued collaborations with the families and the community at large to ensure the preservation of this beautiful property and the creation of the first Township park for all residents to enjoy. We congratulate and applaud everyone involved in this acquisition, which will help protect and preserve 45 acres for the enjoyment of everyone who works and lives in the Kennett Township area as well as for future generations. Through this project, the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors, assisted by the LCAC and TLC, is conserving the natural environment, supporting agriculture, and connecting people to nature, by protecting open spaces, natural areas, and creating open space for everyone to enjoy.