No Immigrant Housing Coming To Don Guanella Site: Delco Officials

MARPLE TOWNSHIP, PA — Delaware County officials are looking to dispel rumors that a county-owned property in Marple will be converted to immigrant housing.

The Delaware County Council Tuesday issued a statement regarding the future of the Don Guanella property in Marple.

"The rumors, shared on a blog, claim that the building on the former Don Guanella property will be converted to house immigrants in Delaware County," officials said in a statement.

These rumors, officials said, "have absolutely no truth to them."

"The County is not planning to convert the Don Guanella property into a facility to house immigrants," officials said. "Rumors and misinformation can fuel immigration paranoia, spread hate, and create fear and we encourage residents to be cautious of rumors that circulate on blogs and social media."

The rumors appear to be circulated by a local blogger who cites an upcoming Marple Township Planning Board meeting as the reason they believe immigrants could be hosed at the site.

At 7 p.m. on March 28, the board will review an ordinance that would amend the township zoning map, changing certain tax parcels from R-B Residential, R-C Residential, and Institutional to Open Space.

The blogger speculated the proposed zoning change "seems to be because of rumors that the county wants to put Illegal Migrants at this location," and cited unnamed sources for those rumors.

The property will be the county's first county park in 30 years, and feature 213 acres focused on the woodlands that now serve as one of the county's largest forests.

In March 2022, Delaware County Council approved and funded a proposal to create a plan to transform the property into the largest public park in the county.

Officials have been working to establish the new park since about 2021 after its development into housing and institutional use was unanimously rejected by the Marple Township Board of Commissioners and opposed by the Planning Commission.

"For almost a decade, area residents have waited anxiously to see what was going to happen with the land at Don Guanella, especially since our community is nearly completely built out. Saving these amazing woods will be welcome news for everyone," Richard Jones of Marple Township said in 2021. "I know that everyone who enjoyed this natural space previously could not be happier that the County is going to secure this land permanently as a public park. It’s the best possible outcome."

Back in 2022, the county formed a Master Plan Advisory Committee for the former Don Guanella property.

This statement comes less than a month after rumors of immigrants possibly being housed at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Springfield Hospital swirled in the county.

Officials at that time also said there was no truth to those rumors.

The two hospitals are owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, and both hospitals are currently for sale