Valley Forge Academy Land Acquisition To Be Discussed Monday In Radnor

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — The Radnor Township Board of Commissioners Monday will introduce an ordinance that will begin the process of acquiring land from the Valley Forge Military Academy Foundation.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Radnorshire Room of the township municipal building, 301 Iven Ave. in Radnor.

Commissioners will introduce Ordinance 2026-09 at the meeting.

The agenda item for the ordinance reads as such:

An Ordinance Authorizing The Board Of Commissioners Of Radnor Township To Select And Appropriate By Eminent Domain Certain Real Estate In Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, For Park, Recreational And Other Municipal Purposes; Also Authorizing The Institution Of Eminent Domain Proceedings For The Acquisition Of Land From The Valley Forge Military Academy Foundation; The Furnishing Of Security For The Payment Of Damages In Accordance With Law; And The Ability Of Certain Officers Of Radnor Township To Act For It In All Procedures And Actions Required By The Eminent Domain Code.

Below is a depiction of the 17.168 acres of land the township is looking to acquire:

Radnor Township Ward 1 Commissioner Jack Larkin told Patch officials want to use the property for recreational purposes. That could entail a rec center, trails, a park, community gardens, and more.

"My understanding is they want to sell this," Larkin said of the landowners, which is the Valley Forge Military Academy Foundation.

Chairman of Valley Forge Military Foundation Board President John English told Patch in January there has been no desire to sell the land.

"My board has not voted on anything," he said. "We have not discussed selling this property."

Valley Forge Military Academy announced it will be closing at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, though Valley Forge Military College plans to remain in business. A proposal for the soon-to-be-closed academy would see the potential creation of Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School.

However, the township's move to acquire the land led Valley Forge Public Service Academy Charter School officials to pull their charter application from consideration at the Radnor Township School District.

"That is clearly not something we could have anticipated," attorney Alan F. Wohlstetter, a VFPSA founder and the president of the School Improvement Partnership charter school consulting firm, said. "Clarification is now needed on a number of items in order for us to proceed with our application."