Old Navy Base Homes Cleared In Ivyland

IVYLAND BOROUGH, PA —The old U.S. Navy abandoned housing on Jacksonville Road is now gone.

"Our residents are so happy," Mayor Anthony Judice recently told Patch.

Taking a page from Warminster Township demolishing Shenandoah Woods, this tiny borough removed an eyesore that has long lingered.

State Rep. Brian Munroe obtained a $122,188 grant through the state’s Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program in mid-January to remove several dilapidated abandoned homes.

The funds will be used for the From Barracks to Blooms project, which will convert the property from the former Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster into a public park.

Judice said that six ranch-style homes on the western side of Jacksonville Road that were once officer quarters.

He said there was asbestos and abatement in all the buildings and that the cleanup took several years.

Judice said the property was deeded at one point to help the homeless in Bucks County but that went away after a few years.

In 1996, NAWC Warminster was realigned and is now closed. The property was transferred to the Bucks County Federal Lands Reuse Authority for nonmilitary redevelopment.

He said the property will be used as a "passive park," just like what is planned for Shenandoah Woods in Warminster.

Judice said that Councilman Todd Savarese and Councilwoman Christina Finello were instrumental in getting the project going.

“As a Navy veteran, I am delighted to see the former Navy base get redeveloped into an environmentally friendly public space for all to enjoy for generations to come,” Munroe said. “This grant should help fund a large portion of the project.”

The Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program allocates funds from the Marcellus Legacy Fund to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for planning, acquisition, development, rehabilitation, and repair of greenways, recreational trails, open space, parks, and beautification projects.

(Photo Courtesy of State Rep. Brian Munroe) State Rep. Brian Munroe is pictured with Ivyland Borough Mayor Anthony Judice, left, and Councilmen Chuck Bristow and Todd Savarese.