A proposed 161-unit age-restricted community called Farm’s Edge on part of the Shady Brook Farm property was presented at Tuesday evening’s Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting.
Joe Morrissey, founder of Montgomery County-based Fox Lane Homes, showed off plans for the development, which would include 135 carriage homes and 26 single-family homes on 53 acres in the township. The plans were first made public in December.
Last year, the Fleming family, who owns and operates Shady Brook Farm, announced they would sell 80 of the 130 acres to developers. The plan is to keep 50 acres for operating Shady Brook Farm, which runs a popular agritainment and events business.
“Fox Lane is partnering with Envision Land Use. Envision Land Use is under agreement with the Flemings to pretty much buy, you know, the part in Middletown and then also the part in Lower Mayfield,” Morrissey explained.
The proposed development would have a density of approximately 3 units per acre, which is similar to neighboring communities, Morrissey said.
The developer, who worked on the Stone Meadows Farm development, pointed to the benefits of an age-restricted community, including less traffic, fewer school-age children, and increased tax revenue.
“Based on Stone Farm and what we learned, we decided to, you know, go age restricted. With the thought process, less traffic, less school age kids, you know, the neighborhood itself compared to a single family neighborhood, would generate about $2.1 million in additional tax revenue between the district, the township in, in the county,” Morrissey said.
The proposal includes plans for amenities such as a clubhouse, swimming pool, paddle courts, and community gardens. Morrissey highlighted the inclusion of wildflower meadows and multi-use trails throughout the development.
However, residents from neighboring communities expressed concerns about the project.
Jim Bock, a resident of a neighborhood near the planned development, raised issues with the proposal.
“As proposed by Farm’s Edge, the bike trail would cut through a major stormwater retention basin that serves approximately two thirds of the Silver Lake community,” Bak said. He warned that further intrusion into the retention basin could have negative effects.
Jessica Vinciguerra, another Silver Lake resident, voiced concerns about a potential emergency access road connecting to their community.
“Silver Lake does not have sidewalks. We don’t have a safe place for our children to play, ride their bikes or even stand safely at their own school bus stop,” Vinciguerra said.
Vinciguerra urged the developers to find alternative access routes.
Supervisor Dana Kane expressed worries about the project’s density.
“I just think it’s another, it’s another plan with high density. That’s what I’m seeing,” Kane said. “I would have liked to have preferred to see a much lower density development.”
Morrissey acknowledged the concerns and emphasized the developer’s commitment to working with the community.
“We are trying to look at it from a bigger picture and like, okay, are there other things we can do that you’re like, okay, hey, for the extra couple units, it allows them to do these. Whether it’s the trail, the connectivity, whether it’s the open space, whether it’s a park for the township,” Morrissey said.
He indicated that the plans would be revised based on feedback from residents and township officials.
“What I would tell you is if you just give me like six to eight weeks for us to kind of tweak this and come back with like some different ideas and some different thought process. I’m not saying you’re going to love it the next time, but I think you’ll like it better than what we did here the first time,” Morrissey said.
The presentation was for informational purposes only, with no vote taken by the supervisors.
Morrissey said the developers would continue to meet with residents and refine the plans before submitting a formal proposal.
The project is part of a larger development plan for the Shady Brook Farm property, which includes portions in both Middletown Township and Lower Makefield Township.
Attorney Ed Murphy, who is representing the developers, indicated that plans for the Lower Makefield Township portion of the property were still in the early stages.
Across the street from Shady Brook Farm, the Prickett Preserve at Edgewood, a 30-acre mixed-use development, opened this year with homes, businesses, and a Wegman’s.
Shady Brook Farm started in Bensalem Township in 1913 and then relocated later to its current location. The Fleming family said last year that the business has succeeded because they have been able to “continually adapt to the changing environment.”
The decision to sell the land came as the family was preparing to hand over the farm and business from the fourth generation to the fifth generation of the Fleming family.
The Fleming family began to focus more on agritainment and events at the farm in the 1990s and that has grown into a thriving line of business that has supported the farm in Lower Bucks County.
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