Lake Lattimore: A Community Effort

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The Traces of Lattimore community is a neighborhood of upscale homes on generous lots surrounding Lake Lattimore (Nyce Lake) along Silver Lake Road, south of Milford, PA. In the early 20th century, it was all farmland. Purchased by the Girl Scouts in the 1950s, it then became a summer camp.

A developer bought the land from the Scouts, subdivided it and sold lots before going bankrupt. In an effort to preserve the community, residents of the community pooled resources, formed Lakeside Investors, and bought the common areas, covenants and remaining lots at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction in 1999. Alan Dolge was one of the Investors, and he and the other seven managers were particularly concerned about the future of one 85-acre tract.

On paper, this tract, across Silver Lake Road and south of Lake Lattimore, was subdivided into 33 lots which would have consumed the last major open space in the Traces of Lattimore community and overwhelmed the existing facilities.

Dolge valued the land as it was: wild habitat for bear, fox, opossum, porcupine, owls, turkey, hawks, fish and amphibians, bald eagles, and songbirds. His goal was to keep the tract open as an area for the use of Traces of Lattimore community residents. (The public has historically fished the wetland stream that crosses the property.)

Things didn’t exactly work out as planned. The Lakeside Investors managers applied for and received Clean and Green status; interested parties opted out; and finally, Dolge and another of the original Lakeside Investors, Macyn Bolt, purchased the 85 acres, contacted Delaware Highlands Conservancy and negotiated a conservation easement. The recorded easement protects the land while permitting future subdivision into no more than two 42.5-acre lots, with one residence permitted on a two-acre building site in each parcel.

And so, this land has come full circle. What was once farmland, and before that wilderness, will revert to a new kind of wild land. Macyn and Carolyn Bolt will build a new home on their portion, now called Lake Lattimore Preserve. Alan and Patricia Dolge may build in the future. The remaining land will revert to natural habitat and will remain so in perpetuity. We are especially grateful for the foresight of Macyn and Carolyn Bolt and especially to Alan and Patricia Dolge for caring enough to protect this land as open space for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

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