Residents Raise Worries Over Proposed 290-Unit Mixed-Use Development

Middletown Township residents attended as BET Investments presented plans Wednesday evening for a 290-unit mixed-use development on a 20-acre wooded property.

BET Investments, which is based in Montgomery County and owns several properties in Bucks County, is proposing the development at the intersection of Maple Avenue and North Flowers Mill Road in Middletown Township.

The developer is seeking a zoning change from the current R1 residential designation to allow the project to move forward. They are proposing a text amendment change to allow mixed-use development at the site.

The initial proposal for the development features a five-story building with apartments above ground-floor retail space, along with two separate retail buildings and a restaurant pad site.

BET Investments plans to purchase the property from Woods Services if the project receives approval.

“We’re here to kind of hear what people have to say about it,” said Michael Markman, the president of BET Investments and business partner to Bruce E. Toll, one of the original Toll Brothers founders who left that company years ago.

The sketch plan includes 290 apartments ranging from 850 to 2,000 square feet, with one, two, and three-bedroom units.

The development would also include space for a small grocery store, shops totaling 22,400 square feet across two buildings, and a 9,100-square-foot restaurant pad site.

A 440-space parking garage would be attached to the residential building, with surface parking provided for retail customers. The plan also incorporates a stormwater management area, retaining wall, pool, and potentially a dog park.

Markman compared the proposed project to BET Investments’ Promenade at Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, which he said initially faced opposition but now enjoys community support.

“The majority of people from that neighborhood shop at the project now,” he said. “Their home values have gone up.”

The Promenade at Upper Dublin features tenants including Sprouts organic grocery store, Starbucks, Lululemon, Sephora, and several restaurants.

Markman said they hope some of these tenants would come to a Middletown Township development.

“About 60 or 70 percent of the population tends to be 65, 70 or older, which is empty nesters,” Markman said of their typical residents. “What this does for a community such as this is allows you to have a place in your neighborhood to go live.”

The remaining 30 percent of residents are typically young professionals, he added.

Peter Clelland, vice president of development for BET Investments, said the project would include 20 percent active neighborhood open space with trails.

He noted that a neighboring township-owned open space plot of 150 to 200 feet in depth separates the proposed development from adjacent Tareyton Estates development.

“If there are features that the township would like added to that by way of benefits to the community whether it’s additional trails, parks, we’re amenable to working with the township to address that,” Clelland said.

Traffic concerns dominated much of the public concern over any development, with residents sharing worries about adding vehicles to an already congested intersection.

The developers presented a concept to relocate South Flowers Mill Road to align with the Route 1 on-off ramp, which they said would eliminate one traffic signal and improve traffic flow on Maple Avenue.

“This is as formal as we’ve gotten so far with this concept,” Clelland said of the road realignment proposal. “We haven’t discussed it with PennDOT but this is its first public presentation tonight to anyone.”

The traffic engineer for the project acknowledged the development would add traffic but argued the proposed road improvements would provide net benefits. He added that the current intersection requires six different signal phases, which could be reduced to three or four with the proposed changes.

“What you’re not going to get with any other development of this site is this improvement,” the traffic engineer said, referring to the road realignment.

Residents also questioned the fiscal impact projections.

Clelland said building 18 single-family homes as currently permitted would generate about $16,000 annually for the township but create a $119,000 deficit for the school district. The proposed mixed-use development would generate $124,000 annually for the township and over $1 million for the school district, according to BET Investments’ analysis.

Some residents expressed skepticism about these projections, citing previous developments where promised benefits didn’t materialize as projected.

Housing affordability emerged as another topic of discussion.

When asked about low-income housing, Markman said none is currently planned, though he indicated willingness to consider affordable housing options.

One resident advocated for affordable rather than low-income units, saying “we should dedicate this to affordable housing so that our children can afford” to live near their families.

The apartments would rent for $2,000 to $3,000 per month, according to Markman. He said these projects typically don’t generate many school-age children because families with children often prefer houses with yards at similar rental costs.

At the Promenade at Upper Dublin, BET Investments projected 29 school-age children but actually has 19 students from 400 units, according to company representatives.

Environmental features proposed would include green roofs that help cleanse stormwater runoff and underground detention basins throughout the parking areas. The developers said these measures would prevent any increase in stormwater runoff from the site.

BET Investments holds rather than sells its properties.

“Bruce and I own them and we own them forever,” Markman said.

The presentation was the start of what could be the beginning of what would be a lengthy approval process requiring township planning commission and Board of Supervisors review. The project would require PennDOT coordination for any road improvements.

No formal votes or approvals were taken at Wednesday’s community meeting, which served as an initial public presentation of the concept.