The Radnor Township Board of Commissioners is moving to acquire 14 acres of the 70-acre Valley Forge Military Academy campus in Wayne through eminent domain, citing concerns about overdevelopment and a lack of response from school officials as the academy prepares to close this year. Commissioners voted to authorize the township solicitor to draft paperwork for a potential taking, as officials eye the land for a new recreation center and park. Commissioner Jack Larkin said the township tried to negotiate but academy leaders “just kind of went radio silent,” prompting the board to proceed. The township would pay an appraised value for the property, which leaders say would help preserve open space in North Wayne while addressing the future of the aging, township-run Sulkisio Gym. Larkin said the move would not interfere with Eastern University’s pending plan to purchase roughly half of the academy’s campus for student housing and athletic facilities. The board expects to introduce an eminent domain ordinance at a meeting later in January. The ordinance would then need a second hearing and public reading before an approval vote. No date is set for that.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 1/7/2026