Crowd Expected for Supervisors' Decision on Historic Farmhouse

The fate of a historic farmhouse on Upper Silver Lake Road will be decided Tuesday by the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors.

Developer McGrath Homes is seeking permission from the Newtown Township Supervisors to tear down a 1840s farmhouse and replace it with a dozen villas at its 55-plus development under construction on Upper Silver Lake Road.

The Newtown Join Historic Commission has recommended the township deny the demolition permit. The Planning Commission has forwarded the issue to the supervisors.

Restoration of the farmhouse was a condition of approval when McGrath received the go-ahead to construct the development back in 2006.

The issue has sparked passion on both sites of the debate. Residents of the Villas at Newtown filled the meeting room during a planning commission meeting earlier this month requesting that the permit be granted.

However an email campaign, initiated by former supervisor Robert Ciervo, has been circulating throughout town, prompting feedback from many residents who are outraged about the situation.

“McGrath Homes agreed in 2006 to save this historic home on 3 acres of land and was granted a rezoning that allowed them to put 172 housing units on ground that only allowed about 17 single family homes. They were given a big bonus by the prior board. Now they want to break this promise just so they can build even more homes to sell,” Ciervo wrote in the email, titled Save Historic Newtown.

“To allow McGrath to do so would set a dangerous precedent where other builders with nearly finished developments would come back and ask to preserve less open space and build more homes.”

Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Township Building, 100 Municipal Dr, Newtown.