Logistics Center Overlay Approved For Superfund Landfill Site

A long-contaminated former landfill along West Lincoln Highway could see redevelopment after the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors approved zoning changes.

The supervisors voted last month to approve a petition from Bensalem Township-based Korman Commercial Properties to create a new Logistics Center Overlay District at 2011 West Lincoln Highway.

The move rezones the 85-acre property from a mix of commercial and open recreation space to primarily light manufacturing.

Under the approved agreement, any developer for the property must remediate the federally-recognized Superfund site at its own expense before any construction can begin.

“This is a legacy Superfund site. Been there for a long time,” said Ed Murphy, the attorney representing Korman Commercial Properties. “It was many uses many years ago, including landfill, and none of it was created by my client.”

The site, which Murphy said operated as a dump as far back as the 1940s or 1950s, contains methane pipes.

Any remediation plan requires the green light from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and federal authorities, Murphy and township officials said.

Jim Ennis, the township’s director of building and zoning, said any development at the largely-wooded site is tied to strict environmental standards.

“They wouldn’t be able to do anything until we knew that they had all those approvals from those higher agencies, especially on the federal and state level,” Ennis said.

Township officials estimate the cleanup costs will reach into the millions of dollars.

No formal building plans had been submitted as of April, but Murphy noted that Korman has been in discussions with several companies regarding the site’s potential.

The approved zoning amendment specifically allows logistics fulfillment centers on M1 light manufacturing properties of at least 50 acres through conditional use approval.

Due to the size requirement, the West Lincoln Highway site, which sits across from SEPTA’s West Trenton Line and freight rail, is currently the only property in the township that qualifies.

The approved rezoning prohibits data centers or cold storage at the site.

“Those uses were not viewed supportively by your consultants and your planning commission,” Murphy told the supervisors.

The approved rezoning includes a 200-foot conservation easement along the Neshaminy Creek, which exceeds the standard 150-foot buffer. The area that totals more than 21 acres will be open for public use and could eventually host walking trails.

“You’re picking up 2 to 3 acres of additional conserved open area,” Murphy said.

Despite the environmental improvements, there were resident concerns over flooding and traffic.

“Do we really want to build something this big in a flood zone or partial flood zone?” resident Joe Fitch asked. “All the impervious surface and where’s that water going to run off? It’s going to run off right into the Neshaminy Creek.”

Murphy said that if the project moves forward, the developer will be required to submit detailed traffic and stormwater management studies. He also noted that government regulations would make sure no contamination enters the waterway, which feeds into the Delaware River.