The proposed Valley Forge Public Service Academy in Wayne has temporarily withdrawn its application to open up a school this fall at the former Valley Forge Military Academy in response to Radnor Township’s proposal to acquire 14 acres of the campus.
Valley Forge Military Academy is closing at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, though Valley Forge Military College will stay open. The charter school has applied to take over the school.
Township commissioners unanimously approved a motion Jan. 5 to begin eminent domain procedures to acquire 14 acres on campus as a way to limit development in the area around North Wayne.
The charter school board of directors voted Jan. 15 to withdraw the 1,000-page charter school application it submitted to the Radnor Township School District on November 14, 2025, according to a press release from the school.
The directors then passed a resolution announcing their intent to resubmit the application once Radnor Township’s eminent domain action has been clarified.
“That is clearly not something we could have anticipated,” said attorney Alan F. Wohlstetter, a VFPSA founder and the president of the School Improvement Partnership charter school consulting firm.
Charter school organizers say they need to know exactly which 14 acres on campus would be subject to eminent domain.
They asked how it could affect the use of a campus gym, and how traffic, parking, and safety would be affected for charter school students, staff, and the community.
Radnor Commissioner Jack Larkin said officials have been looking for space to create a new recreation center for the township, writes Max Bennett for Patch.
“We heard that Valley Forge was looking to sell, so we started that conversation,” he said.
John English, chairman of the Valley Forge Military Foundation Board, said there’s been no desire from the board to sell the land, and no communication from Radnor with any offers.
Township officials were shown around the property in late 2025 in the event a deal was proposed, he said.
Radnor officials speculate that, in addition to a rec center, the 14 acres could be a park with a community garden, possible basketball courts, and open space for dog walking, cycling, jogging, and strolls.
Eastern University has already purchased 33.3 acres of the property that includes the football stadium, track, athletic field house, apartment buildings, and pickleball courts.
Read more about the latest developments at Valley Forge Military Academy in Patch.
