Allegheny Land Trust given 90-day extension to raise remaining $365K for Churchill Valley Greenway project

The Allegheny Land Trust is still $365,000 short in the quest to close on its Churchill Valley Greenway project.

The Sewickley-based nonprofit had until March 31 to raise $3 million in order to close the deal with the owner, Zokaites Properties LP. The plan is to convert the 148 acres of hills, meadows and golf cart paths into a place where surrounding residents can enjoy the outdoors.

The good news, said Tom Dougherty, ALT’s vice president of development and external affairs, is the deadline has been extended through June 30.

“We still have two grants pending with the Department of Community and Economic Development and two private grants,” he said, adding the nonprofit’s grant applications, if filled, would cover the current funding gap.

DCED was expected to make an announcement March 23 outlining which projects received funding and how much. Dougherty said that announcement was pushed back to April or May.

Allegheny Land Trust has planned to purchase the swath of land, which used to house the Churchill Country Club, since May 2019. The original deadline to raise $3 million was March 2020. It was extended through this year.

Earlier in March, the organization’s funding gap exceeded $600,000.

“The community has been so supportive. In the last six weeks, we’ve narrowed that gap significantly. In a few more weeks, we’ll see where we end up. We’ve just been thrilled by the support, though,” Dougherty said.

So far, the nonprofit has received state grants, corporate sponsorships and donations from around 800 individuals for a grand total of $2.6 million.

For more information on the project, visit alleghenylandtrust.org/churchill-valley.