Hulmeville Hill Development Plan Opposed

HULMEVILLE BOROUGH, PA —The Hulmeville Conservation Committee is asking residents to appear Thursday night to speak out against the proposed development of Hulmeville Hill.

The 6th and final conditional use hearing before the Borough Council takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the William Penn Fire Station on 123 Main St.

The council will resume hearing an application from Superior Holdings LLC for conditional use approval to develop a Traditional Neighborhood Development of 120 homes at 150 Trenton Ave.

Patricia Taggart of the Hulmeville Conservation Committee said the meeting offers the first time since the start of the process in March 2022 that residents can voice concerns and ask questions.

This is the last hearing before the council decides whether to grant permission for the development of the Black Farm (Hulmeville Hill).

As with the last two hearings, Taggart hopes to get at least 200 residents to attend the meeting.

The organization has so far distributed 600 flyers opposing the project.

"This is the last chance to voice your concerns," the flyer states. "All will be impacted by this huge project."

The flyer states that the council needs to acknowledge that the developer has not met the criteria for approval for conditional use and therefore it should not be granted.

"This is our town. Are you willing to accept the destruction of a 300-year-old farmhouse and barn, the potential for increased devastating floods, traffic, higher taxes, overcrowded schools, loss of wildlife and open space, and lower property values? This is not in the best interest of the borough," the flyer states.

A Change.org petition launched last year had nearly 3,500 signatures. The organization has also created a Facebook page.

Anyone interested in joining HCC should send an email HulmevilleConservation@gmail.com.

HCC is a group of concerned citizens organized to preserve the natural beauty and limit development of the property formerly identified as Harriet Black’s Farm and Langhorne Wood Products Co. including the surrounding woods and the hill bordering the William Penn Fire House.

The organization said the development would impact the environment and wildlife, especially a meadow that provides a feeding ground for birds of prey and many other animals. Flying squirrels, fox, owls, deer, and eagles consider the meadow and adjoining woods their home, HCC states.