Franklin Township is working out details to take back land where a proposed 60-unit luxury apartment complex had been planned at Fairyland Road and Wagner Street.

Supervisors last week tabled carrying out an agreement for settlement of condemnation proceeding for property owned by Phifer Rentals LLC.

Before the vote, township solicitor Tom Nanovic noted, “It’s not ready yet.”

“We think there’s been some movement,” Nanovic said. “I think you’ve seen some of it.”

Nanovic added that the attorneys involved have been “working out some language regarding a title issue. My understanding is that orally they’ve agreed, they’re now working out the written details.

“I hate that it didn’t get done this month. But it does seem like we’re making progress, although slower than we’d all like.”

Nanovic then suggested the board table it and put it on next month’s meeting agenda.

“I think we’re probably very close,” he said.

Last month, supervisors also tabled the agreement after Nanovic noted it wasn’t ready.

Board Chairman Nick Storm said it’s all with the eminent domain.

Nanovic said at that time the township is negotiating a purchase and had filed the eminent domain.

Resident Terry Shaner questioned that the township still hasn’t come up with a price, but Nanovic said they were still negotiating.

Nanovic said if they’re not able to negotiate a price, it would go to a board they would determine a price then it could be appealed to the trial court to determine a value. He said they were hoping to avoid that because the parties are negotiating for the township to buy it to avoid the litigation.

Shaner then asked if something happens over there, if it’s the township’s responsibility. Nanovic said he wasn’t sure, and that with the condemnation, that’s why the other party hired a lawyer to handle that.

Shaner then asked if the township has decided what it plans to do with that land.

Storm noted at that time that it’s contiguous onto the township’s current park system, so he would hope the township could expand that.

Supervisors have been moving forward with taking back land where the proposed 60-unit luxury apartment complex had been planned at Fairyland Road and Wagner Street, since May.

The development, proposed by Phifer Rentals, called for three apartment buildings on a 5.39-acre property.

Developer Jay Cooperman previously said the complex could generate between $125,000 and $150,000 annually in tax revenue and noted the project had originally received zoning approval for 48 units in November 2024.

The proposal had faced months of review and resident opposition over traffic, water and sewer capacity, and recreation plans.

Among the unresolved issues were required approvals from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Carbon County Conservation District, along with a requested waiver from township regulations limiting developments to 12 dwelling units per single access point.

Residents had also raised concerns about the need for secondary access off Fairyland Road and the developer’s proposal to contribute money in lieu of building recreation amenities.