HILLTOWN TWP., Pa. - A proposed 174-unit development for people 55 and older that sparked a community uproar and a family dispute was blocked Monday night by the Hilltown Township Board of Supervisors.
About 100 residents turned out at the township building, many of them carrying signs that said the proposal for The Venue, at Route 309 and Swartley Road, would bring “five times the houses and traffic” allowed by current zoning. Environmental concerns were also cited.
Residents started arriving and setting up lawn chairs around 3 p.m., four hours before the meeting, since Hilltown could only accommodate 18 people at the meeting because of coronavirus social-distancing rules.
Wally Rosenthal, owner of the bulk of the land that would have been developed, said after the meeting that many false things have been said about his proposal.
Asked what his next step is, Rosenthal, who also owns 309 Office Furniture & Design, replied, “I don’t know yet.”
The property can be built on, but without the conditional approval sought Monday, development on some of the acreage would be less dense.
People outside the Hilltown Township supervisors meeting.
Rosenthal said before the meeting that his proposal, made in conjunction with Lennar Corp. of Miami, would generate tax revenue for the township, Bucks County and Pennridge School District while providing homes for older people that would be near retail centers and services.
The supervisors did not actually vote on the zoning change that Rosenthal sought for higher-density development.
Chairman Jack McIlhinney made a motion to vote. That motion was not seconded by either Jim Groff or Caleb Torrice so died without support.
“I’m relieved,” Dale Ott said after the vote. Ott owns land adjacent to the acreage Rosenthal wanted to develop.
“I haven't had a good night’s sleep in four years," Ott said, adding that he has not spoken a civil word with his brother Robert in the same time period. Robert Ott owns a portion of the land that would have been developed.
Jill Ott, Robert’s wife, said land disputes have created a rift in the family.
Rosenthal's wife, Shelli, arrived around 3 p.m. and got a spot just outside the municipal building door. She said that the project would generate $1.2 million in tax revenue annually, and because residents would be over 55 the plan would not lead to higher school enrollment and costs.
Most residents who showed up were against the proposal. They cheered when Dale Ott walked out of the meeting and announced the non-vote.
Lauren Geitz shows her opposition to the proposed development.
Lauren Geitz showed up wearing a sandwich-board sign asking that Hilltown be kept green.
“I approve of building more; that’s just the absolute worst location,” she said, adding that traffic from 174 units would cause problems.
June Brauer said she showed up at 4 p.m. to get a good spot. She said that approving the plan would amount to “spot zoning” without any hardship being shown. Her concerns about safety, the environment and the character of the rural township prompted her opposition.
Hilltown covers about 27 square miles and is still part rural. The township is home to the Pearl S. Buck National Historic Landmark, once home of the Nobel Prize-winning author who wrote about peasant life in China.
Later in the meeting, McIlhinney said that the township should consider having just one trash hauler to give Hilltown leverage when problems are reported. Township Manager Lorraine Leslie said that the trucks from various haulers are damaging Hilltown roads.
Solicitor Stephen Harris said that townships that switch to one hauler also have problems.
Torrice said that with just one company serving Hilltown, more complaints would be called in directly to the government instead of to the haulers.
No action was taken on McIlhinney's suggestion.
