In the summer of 2023, Engineer Charles Catania and Council President Terry Heller learned that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was very motivated to sell a portion of the Our Lady of Charity property and was currently in negotiations with a local commercial landscaper to purchase 7+ acres including the school and convent. This was the first time Brookhaven Council, officials, and inspectors were made aware of this.
The property was never formally listed for sale and the unofficial sale price for the property was $1.2million. The landscaper required a larger location and planned to move their operations to OLC and had plans to pave over most of the existing green space, add stadium lighting, and dispatch 90 or so commercial landscaping vehicles beginning at 6:00am daily and having the same vehicles returning to the site at 8:00-9:00pm. The impact on Brookhaven, Upland, and Parkside would have brought a profound negative external factor that would disrupt quality of life on our local environment, bring no real benefit in the way of tax revenue, and permanently change the face of the southern end of our wonderful borough.
Council President Heller contacted all council members who were unanimously opposed to the project which would have required a zoning change. They were pleasantly surprised at the potential purchase price since former Mayor Mike Hess and current Recreation Board President and lifetime resident Thomas Dykes had inquired about the property in 2017 and were presented a purchase price of approximately $4 million. This put the wheels in motion…..
….. in September 2023 for Council to make an offer to the Archdiocese, subject to an appraised value to acquire 7.4 acres of the Our Lady of Charity property to be used for open space and passive recreation, with current uncertainty about the school building’s future use. The price was based on a borough-funded appraisal which resulted in an estimated value of $1,550,000, the Borough’s offer was $1,500,000. The Borough’s purchase was contingent on strong public support and funding; Borough residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of this initiative with a resounding 79.8% majority.
Council applied for various grants and was fortunate to receive a $500,000 no-match grant towards the purchase price. We were also fortunate to receive another grant in the amount of $100,000, reducing the total cost of the acquisition to about $900,000. The Borough secured a $1 million municipal loan at 4.04% for 15 years. This gives the borough an additional $100,000 in the budget for OLC improvements. And, a tax increase for this purpose was not necessary.
Brookhaven Borough closed on the OLC property in April of this year (2025). Now, the Our Lady of Charity Committee will work on plans for the property, which is restricted as green space and will involve residents in decision making. We look forward to improving this beautiful green space, for the use by the current and future generations.
If you would like to be part of this committee, please contact the borough office.