A group of local citizens has been opposing this land deal in Warren Couny for some time. Basically this would take a strip of land set aside for agricultural restrictions and open it for development by Wal-Mart. This has been defeated in court already and only succeeded after it was turned into a legislative bribe ($3.2 million to a state farmland fund and a larger set aside elsewhere). I only followed this issue a little but the stirp of land where the Wal-Mart is going in was important to maintaining a certain rural character to this area and it'll be sad to see it replaced with that prozac smiley face. Here is a summary from
this morning's Warren Times-Observer:
After a tortured journey through the state House of Representatives and swift passage by the state Senate, Gov. Ed Rendell signed House Bill 66 into law Tuesday.
Commercial development can now get underway in North Warren along Rt. 62.
Echo Real Estate Services, Pittsburgh, will purchase three North Warren parcels from Warren County for $4,010,000. Of that total, $3.2 million will be deposited directly into the state's farmland preservation fund. Warren County will receive $586,000.
Echo's development plans include a mid-sized Wal-Mart, a Lowe's home improvement center, two restaurants, a clothing retailer, a plaza of smaller shops and possibly a motel.
The legislation Rendell signed Tuesday transfers 29.6 acres across from Warren State Hospital from the state to the county. It also removes an agriculture-only deed restriction on a 22.7 acre parcel at the corner of Rts. 62 and 69.
The act transfers the ag-restriction on the 22.7 acres to 45.8 acres in Scandia owned by John Anderson.
...
Virtually every aspect of the transfer and lifting of the deed restriction has been scrutinized during the past two years - first in litigation, then in debate in the House.
Lynch introduced the bill in the House this past Jan. 29 but it did not reach the House floor until Nov. 19.
On Nov. 25, the House defeated the bill by a vote of 152-48. Echo then hired Capital Associates, a Harrisburg lobbying firm.
Three weeks later, the bill was passed the House 106-89.