The price to prevent development on a prominent Lower Salford property recently reached $21.5 million. Residents will ultimately decide if the cost is acceptable.

            This month, the township's board of supervisors announced an agreement of sale to purchase the Allebach property, following two years of negotiations, at a cost of $343,176 per acre. They expressed pride in completing an important step in preserving the 62.25-acre farm, described as one of the municipality's most visible and treasured landscapes.

            "There are few opportunities for a property like this to be preserved," Vice Chairman Chris Canavan said Monday.

            However, completing the purchase will require a ballot initiative in the spring. A proposed 0.25 percent earned income tax, dedicated to open space, would cost the average resident an additional $203 annually.

            A recent appraisal estimated the value of the property – bounded by Main Street, Quarry Road and Stover Road – at $21.8 million. The property's mixed-use zoning made it an imminent threat for immediate development. A high-density design could have yielded multiple commercial buildings and up to 350 apartments and twin home combinations, according to an Oct. 3 social media post by state Rep. Donna Scheuren, R-147th House Dist.

            The municipality plans to fund the purchase of the property – currently being farmed by a local farmer – through direct financing, according to Canavan, who has served on the board since June 2011. He described it as the best way to spend taxpayer money.

            Canavan, who is running for reelection, claims that the vast majority of the friends and community members he has heard from support preservation. However, the supervisor said some constituents have told him they don't want to pay the additional taxes.

             The township is anticipating approximately $7.5 million in grant funding to help fund the purchase, according to Scheuren's Oct. 3 social media post. Voters will consider the ballot initiative during the 2026 Primary Election on May 19.  

            According to the supervisor, Martha Allebach marketed the property – which starts at the southern end of the Meadowbrook Plaza, located at 290 Main Street – to several developers. He said no one ever came before the board with a specific proposal.

            Discussion between the township and the Allebach's family started after her death in April 2023, according to the Canavan. He said they needed time to figure out a plan.

            Robert C. and Martha Allebach purchased the property at 460 Stover Road in June 1978. It is zoned R - Preferential Assessment and includes four accessory structures. A detached garage built in 1960 is the most recent building. A flat barn, covering 3,480 square feet, was constructed in 1900, according to the Montgomery County property records website.

            Acquisition of the property would increase the township's preserved open space by 3.03 percent. The municipality currently owns 1,200 of the 3,000 preserved acres in Lower Salford, according to Canavan, who added that he could envision passive and active recreation on the property.

            The supervisors are in the early stages of developing an alternative plan if the initiative referendum fails, Canavan said. He said the municipality is working with Natural Lands Trust to discover potential funders.

            "The important thing is that we have an owner who wants to sell the property to [the township,]" the supervisor said. "We are willing to work out all the details.