Future Of Hart Property On The Agenda In Doylestown Township

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The future of the Hart property located at 2250 South Easton Road is expected to be decided on Tuesday when the township supervisors meet to consider amending its zoning ordinance to allow redevelopment and preservation of the site.

This past spring, the township’s planning commission voted 3-1 to recommend the amendment, which would open the door to Zaveta Custom Homes to submit plans to the township redevelop the 24 acre property with 36 townhomes while preserving a third of the land as open space, restoring an 18th-century stone farmhouse and converting an existing barn into separate dwellings.

The owner of the property - the Bucks County Historical Society - has an agreement to sell the property to Zaveta provided the developer can secure the proper approvals from the township to redevelop the property.

The society, which has used the property for storage space since it was donated to them by the Hart family, is looking to sell the land and its buildings to fund its core mission of operating its two existing museums - Fonthill and Mercer Museum.

If approved on Tuesday, Zaveta plans to submit land development plans to the township for a 36 townhome development at the site, which is located across from the Wawa on South Main Street.

A vocal group of residents, many of whom are members of the Buckingham Township Historical Society, have opposed the zoning change, calling the decision to sell the land a betrayal of the original 1990s gift by George M. Hart.

Opponents to the zoning change address the planning commission in March. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

“Uphold the current zoning. Support the original mission of the Bucks County Historical Society and encourage more creative solutions,” they said in March. “This is one solution. It’s not the only solution. Respect the community’s desire for preservation and conservation. You have a chance to do something really special here. We have a beautiful property here. The ordinance that you’re proposing does nothing to help sustain what we have as a precious gift to Bucks County.”

Opponents have argued for the preservation of the property and for the township to uphold the existing institutional zoning. They have also raised concerns about density, safety, sewage capacity and increased traffic, with its location across from the Doylestown Borough Wawa store and next to the Route 202 Bypass.

At the March planning commission meeting, the commission’s chairwoman, Judy Hendrixson, took issue with the opponents over their objections to the zoning change.

“Under our current zoning there is no protection for that property,” said Hendrixson. “What we’re trying to do with this ordinance is to preserve the house, the barn, the historic property and do that in the best way possible.”

Hendrixson said regarding the other issues being raised, including traffic, those will be handled during land development. “When we get to that point there’s going to be traffic studies, there’s going to be a lot of stuff discussed. We’re not there yet. It’s a long process and believe me it’s going to go through a lot of examination and scrutiny.

“We all want the same thing,” she said. “We want to see this preserved. We want to see the least impact on our spaces. We are talking about a preservation ordinance for that property.”

The amended ordinance would add a new B15.2 use to the zoning code, with regard to historic properties and single-family developments. It would allow for a multifamily use in conjunction with the preservation of historic buildings
on the property in perpetuity.

Commission members reviewed several edits to the draft in March, including removing language about open space ownership and maintenance by a homeowners association, dropping a requirement that multifamily buildings not be in long rows or parallel to street lines, and deleting a provision requiring frontage on at least two arterial or higher-classification roads.

Another revision stated that new multifamily developments with fewer than 45 units would not need two accesses, but would require one emergency access.

“The Planning Commission is aware that there is a lot of history here and has been working on the zoning issue for six months, taking it into careful consideration,” said Hendrixson. “Trees are a big part of the ordinance and when any are taken down there is replacement required. The site will not be cleared, traffic will be scrutinized, utilities and stormwater will all be looked at through the land development process, which is a very carefully thought-out the process, not a one-time, one evening decision.”