The suggested cluster layout for the site.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Residents came out in large numbers Wednesday night as the Middletown Township Planning Commission discussed plans with developers to transition the 168-acre Stone Farm property into a setting for over 100 single family homes.
While residents and the board stressed concerns over things like traffic and storm water management Wednesday night and back in January, developers strictly met with the township commission to be granted a recommendation for a suggested zoning text amendment that would allow for cluster housing at the Stone Farm property that sits off Langhorne-Newtown Road across from the George School in Middletown. The farm is not far at all from Newtown borough and township.
According to attorney Rob Gundlach, who represented Metropolitan Development Group, cluster zoning was recommended over “by-right” by the Bucks County Planning Commission. The cluster zoning, according to developers, would give the homes smaller lots but also allow for more open space, reduced impervious coverage, and greater buffers for neighboring developments – which have been some of the major concerns of neighbors due to the current nature of the site.
While Gundlach painted a positive picture regarding cluster zoning, the board was lackluster in approving the suggested plans and later tabled the amendment recommendation for a later date.
One suggested home rendering.
According to the board, the lack of details regarding the plans left them without the necessary information to make an informed recommendation to the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors.
One of the issues raised was the lack of certainty regarding how many lots would eventually be situated on the nearly 170 acre property. While developer engineers recommended 122 lots, the township engineer called for 113. While home layouts nor square footage of the homes was known by Gunlach, he mentioned the homes would typically be two stories, equipped with a full basement, two car garage, four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms.
Gundlach insisted the end lot number on the property wouldn’t matter, but Board Member Charles Parkerson insisted it did, saying he wanted to “compare apples to apples” across both the “by-right” and cluster plans before recommending a better option.
According to Gundlach, arriving at a final lot number would mean the developer would have to fully engineer the plan to the tune of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” a measure the developer won’t take in favor of a cluster plan.
“If we have to fully engineer this plan, we won’t be back with a cluster plan,” said Gundlach. Leaving the board and residents to assume the project will just continue as a “by right” plan without their input.
A second suggested home rendering.
For Board Member Robert Burnett, without seeing a fully engineered plan, the entire amendment proposition seemed incomplete.
“All these people that are sitting in the audience have houses that are worth several hundred thousand dollars and you have a property that is going to be worth several hundred million and you won’t spend $100,000 to give us what we need to see to make a decision?” asked Burnett over a crowd of clapping of cheering.
Board Chairwoman Sandra Farry also detailed that cramming so many large homes into small lots could potentially limit residents from putting in swimming pools, decks, or even adding additions to their home. Saying it would be unfair to have the Zoning Hearing Board completely inundated with zoning changes to allow for reasonable wants of a homeowner.
“It’s just bad planning,” said Farry. She, along with other board members, asked the developers to come prepared with final lot counts for both plans, in addition to home and lot layouts.
While Gundlach noted the request, he insisted that residents in favor of saving Stone Farm won’t be happy with either plan as both the cluster plan and the “by right” plan still end with the property being developed for single family homes rather than as entirely open space.
Gundlach did mention that the owners of the Phase II section of the property have stressed interest in keeping that section open, but that resources to keep it preserved have not yet presented themselves.
