Supervisors approve Stone Farm age-restricted community with conservation easement and open-space safeguards
December 12, 2022 | Middletown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
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The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved preliminary and final land development for the Stone Farm age-qualified community (SLD 22-07), subject to compliance with the township's subdivision and zoning ordinances and the terms of a previously approved stipulation of settlement.
Applicant representatives led by Rob Gunlock and Joe Morrissey described the project's key elements: a recorded conservation easement of about 67 acres, 59 age-qualified single-family and semi-detached dwellings, a clubhouse and approximately 35.5 acres of dedicated open space to be owned and maintained by the planned community association. The plan includes private internal roads, a pedestrian crossing with a flasher to Tollgate Road, trail connections to County parkland (subject to county approval), and added berming and evergreen screening adjacent to existing homes.
Why it matters: The application includes a conservation easement and open-space commitments intended to protect the Stone family lands and provide public amenities. Neighbors and interveners who participated in the settlement and planning process mostly expressed conditional support.
Neighbors at the meeting praised ongoing negotiation and design changes. Mary Slye, a nearby resident, said the developers had worked with her and others to ensure protections and options for maintenance and protections she could enforce with her attorney if problems arise. Linda Mead, who reviewed planting choices and native-species recommendations, supported the landscape approach and asked for continued notice of meetings to adjacent neighbors.
Township staff and the applicant said they had received review letters from multiple agencies (township engineer, advisory council, traffic engineer, fire marshal and Bucks County Planning Commission) and that all township review comments are to be addressed prior to plan recordation. The Bucks County Planning Commission requested items such as an additional bus shelter, wider trails and denser evergreen screening; the applicant agreed to some items and offered alternatives for others.
The board approved a motion requiring compliance with the subdivision and zoning ordinances, and with the terms of the court-approved stipulation (Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County order dated May 18, 2022) and directed that outstanding review comments be addressed before plans are final. The motion passed 5-0.
What happens next: Final engineering, any county approvals for pedestrian connections, and resolution of outstanding review comments are required before plan recordation and construction can proceed. The developer committed to early plantings where feasible to provide screening during construction.
Applicant representatives led by Rob Gunlock and Joe Morrissey described the project's key elements: a recorded conservation easement of about 67 acres, 59 age-qualified single-family and semi-detached dwellings, a clubhouse and approximately 35.5 acres of dedicated open space to be owned and maintained by the planned community association. The plan includes private internal roads, a pedestrian crossing with a flasher to Tollgate Road, trail connections to County parkland (subject to county approval), and added berming and evergreen screening adjacent to existing homes.
Why it matters: The application includes a conservation easement and open-space commitments intended to protect the Stone family lands and provide public amenities. Neighbors and interveners who participated in the settlement and planning process mostly expressed conditional support.
Neighbors at the meeting praised ongoing negotiation and design changes. Mary Slye, a nearby resident, said the developers had worked with her and others to ensure protections and options for maintenance and protections she could enforce with her attorney if problems arise. Linda Mead, who reviewed planting choices and native-species recommendations, supported the landscape approach and asked for continued notice of meetings to adjacent neighbors.
Township staff and the applicant said they had received review letters from multiple agencies (township engineer, advisory council, traffic engineer, fire marshal and Bucks County Planning Commission) and that all township review comments are to be addressed prior to plan recordation. The Bucks County Planning Commission requested items such as an additional bus shelter, wider trails and denser evergreen screening; the applicant agreed to some items and offered alternatives for others.
The board approved a motion requiring compliance with the subdivision and zoning ordinances, and with the terms of the court-approved stipulation (Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County order dated May 18, 2022) and directed that outstanding review comments be addressed before plans are final. The motion passed 5-0.
What happens next: Final engineering, any county approvals for pedestrian connections, and resolution of outstanding review comments are required before plan recordation and construction can proceed. The developer committed to early plantings where feasible to provide screening during construction.
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