The New Garden Township Board of Supervisors has approved a master plan for the development of the Smedley Preserve, writes Richard Gaw for the Chester County Press. 

The aim is to turn the 106-acre site, which was once the Loch Nairn Golf Club, purchased for $1.425 million from the Smedley family in 2021 into a passive recreation park. 

The future of the park was spelled out by Kate Raman, a conservation project manager at Natural Lands, at a presentation on March 18 at New Garden Township Building. Smedley Preserve will include forests, trails, and pathways, along with restored streams and acres of meadows. 

The aim is to enhance the ecological function of water quality, biodiversity, and resilience at the park. It is a challenging goal, considering the property’s former usage. 

“Golf courses are not really an ecologically beneficial landscape, so this site has been altered significantly,” said Raman. 

The costs for the master plan are estimated at $4.25 million and include pre-construction, demolition and site preparation, upgrades to the infrastructure, furniture and amenities, materials for planting, and meadow seeding. Federal, state, and local grants should assist with the financing. 

Read more about the future of Smedley Preserve in the Chester County Press. 

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