LETTER: Goal of House Bill 1734 is to give residents say on open space

I am writing to address the concerns raised by Larry Cohen regarding my proposed legislation, House Bill 1734. I would like to clarify the intentions and implications of this bill.

In my district, there has been a contentious debate over the use of land currently designated as open space. A local government plans to construct a new municipal building on this preserved land, a move that many of my constituents find inappropriate. The land in question was set aside for open spaces, and its proposed use contradicts the intent behind its preservation.

Recognizing this concern, I sent a memo on August 16th to my colleagues in the State House outlining my intention to introduce legislation to amend the Open Space Act. Specifically, the intent of the bill is to restrict a municipality’s ability to convert land marked for open space unless there is direct approval from township residents through a referendum.

The essence of House Bill 1734 is to protect the original intent of the Open Space Act. With that being said, the process of moving a bill through Harrisburg incorporates language used to protect the needs or wishes of over 2,500 different municipalities across the state, and therefore because it strays from the bill’s initial intentions, it will not run in its current form, and the language is being gutted and replaced. The amended language will clarify current law and state that no matter how a municipality obtains land for the purpose of open space, it shall be protected.

In closing, I do believe many of the accusations made by Mr. Cohen could have been addressed if he simply reached out to my office. This bill has been under review and the language has been changing over the last few weeks. I have an open-door policy with all my constituents to discuss issues of importance to our communities.

I hope this clarification helps address the concerns of those fighting to preserve open space, a goal I wholeheartedly share.

Rep. Donna Scheuren is a Republican who represents the 147th Dist. in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.