Did you feel the ground shake near Core Creek Park on Tuesday afternoon?
If so, you were not alone.
Crews preparing the Stone Meadows Farm in Middletown Township for construction of a large 55-plus development used explosives as part of their efforts.
Middletown Township police advised residents in the afternoon with just minutes notice.
Police said:
“Crews out at Stone Meadow Farm just called into dispatch to let us know they will be doing some blasting today…like any minute now.”
“Will this stop Facebook from being flooded with questions, concerns, theories, and made up stories about the noise they just heard? Nope. But here is the boring, simple answer anyway.”
Construction at the farm, which sits just less than half a mile from Newtown Township and just slightly further from Northampton Township and Langhorne Borough, began in late April and has steadily progressed.
Toll Brothers purchased the Stone Meadows Farm property from developer Foxlane Homes for $40.5 million earlier this year.
The farm, which sits off Langhorne-Newtown Road near Core Creek Park, spans 168 acres, but the development will cover 88.8 acres.
The project was approved in December 2022 by the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors and includes the construction of 17 single-family homes and 142 units in 71 twin dwelling buildings.
The approved plan also features a clubhouse, two access roads, and nearly 40 acres of open space managed by a homeowners’ association.
The development represents a scaled-down version of earlier proposals, which drew heavy public criticism over potential traffic increases, environmental concerns, and impacts on local infrastructure.
The approved plan came after compromises reached during a prolonged dispute involving local residents, the township, and Bucks County officials.
Approximately 67 acres of the farm will remain undeveloped and will be preserved through a conservation easement funded partly by the Bucks County Commissioners, who contributed $2 million to protect the land. The conserved area includes the historic Stone family farmstead and allows for up to two private homes, contingent on the family’s future plans.
