Sproul Rd. Archdiocese Property Still for Sale

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia property along the Don Guanella side of Sproul Road in Marple Township, continues to be for sale, according to Ken Gavin, spokesperson for the Archdiocese.

The property, which is 212 acres, includes Don Guanella Village but does not include S.S. Peter and Paul Cemetery or Cardinal O’Hara High School, according to Gavin. 

There is no listing price for the property that has been on the market since October 2013, but a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued requesting responses from qualified developers, according to Gavin. 

While the Don Guanella Village will eventually close, the programs are not closing.

Don Guanella School was created for teenage boys with developmental delays, and the Cardinal Krol Center, also on the property, is for developmentally disabled adult men. 

Many of the Don Guanella residents and a majority of the programs will move off the current campus and transition into smaller residences in the community, according to Gavin. 

By July 1, 2014, 30 men will have been moved to smaller community homes, along with day programs and administrative offices, which will also be moved, according to Gavin. 

Some of the older, more medically fragile residents will remain on the campus and a proposal for the remaining 90 men has been submitted to the state, according to Gavin. 

"We will know on passage of the state budget, in late spring, whether the funds have been allocated for the second year moves," Gavin in an email message. 

There is no firm date as to when any of the buildings on the site will close.

The Catholic Social Services staff, which runs the Don Guanella programs, will continue to work with the state office of developmental programs, according to Gavin.