Supervisors Deny 111-Townhome Complex Along Woodbourne Road

The Middletown Board of Supervisors unanimously voted down the proposal for 111 townhomes at a former orchard off Woodbourne Road on Tuesday evening.

The vote by the Supervisors came after hearing the plan from developer Lennar Corporation, which is based in Florida; residents and an attorney representing one family; and consideration by the elected officials.

Supervisor Anna Payne put the motion to deny the plan forward and cited the impact it would have on existing traffic conditions on already-busy Woodbourne Road, increased impact on municipal services, and concern about hardships related to waivers requested by the developer.

Lennar Corporation laid out a plan for building 111 townhome units across 18 buildings on the property that is currently wooded. There would be more than 500 mainly off-street parking spots and left turn lanes added for those entering the development and Pickering Bend. The development would have only one access point with an emergency vehicle entrance through a neighboring office complex. It would be surrounded by a vinyl fence. The developer has also proposed adding sidewalks along that portion of Woodbourne Road, including one that would connect to the Woodbourne Train Station.

The three-story townhomes that are proposed would start in the mid-$300,000 range.

Attorney Allen Toadvine, who represented the developer, told Supervisors of the years-long journey on the proposal before it made it in front of them on Tuesday. He said the developer had listened to feedback from the township and reworked their plans through the process.

After the meeting, Toadvine and representatives from Lennar Corporation did not comment on the next steps or whether they planned to appeal to the Supervisors’ decision to county court.

Last week, the Middletown Planning Commission, which is only an advisory committee, rejected the plan.

Supervisor Amy Strouse raised concern about residents of the development being bothered by the nearby CSX switching yard and the noise that comes along with it, an ongoing problem for area residents.

Sam Carlo, a vice president at Lennar Corporation, said the issue would be mentioned to prospective buyers, which drew a chuckle from one person in the audience.

Fred Weiner, a resident of the Langhorne Gardens neighborhood off Woodbourne Road, told the Supervisors Tuesday that the proposed development at the Oxford Valley Mall makes sense because that area needs redevelopment. He questioned whether turning what is presently a wooded 15.8-acre lot into a new development made any sense.

“This development does not have to come into existence,” he said.

Langhorne Gardens resident Michelle McKay worried the development could bring higher taxes for public services, more strain on infrastructure, and additional traffic.

Neshaminy School Board President Marty Sullivan said the district objects to the plan because it would add students with a cost higher than potential tax revenues. He urged the developer to consider lower density housing.

Attorney Don Veix, who also serves on the Pumstead Township Planning Commission, came before Supervisors representing the Bowman family who owns a home along Woodbourne Road. The property, which they rent out, would be surrounded on three sides by the development.

Veix stated the Bowman’s plan to file a legal claim based upon adverse possession of property doctrine as soon as Wednesday. The argument centers on the idea that if the residents of the property have been using surrounding land for years and meet several conditions, they can claim it as their own.

“I want to make it clear to the board that there will be litigation,” he said, noting residents at the Bowman’s property have used a portion of the land as their own for years.

Toadvine brushed off the claim.

Veix also said the plans would not have made it past the planning commission he oversees, adding the location was “not a suitable site for 111 units.”

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