Board voice concerns about traffic, flooding in area
A project is in the works that could bring nearly a hundred new homes to a stretch of Old Forty Foot Road.
Township officials saw a concept plan in late August from developer Pulte Homes, and they quickly voiced concerns about traffic and flooding.
“We’re here to make an informal presentation to the board regarding a potential use of three parcels on Old Forty Foot Road, comprised of approximately 24 acres or so,” said attorney Gregg Adelman on behalf of Pulte.
“The property is currently zoned R-200; we’re asking the board to take a look at a potential use, under the MR- multifamily residential district, for a townhome development,” he said.
The property is located at the eastern end of the township, south of Mainland Road and across from a development at Camelot Way, near Towamencin’s border with Upper Salford Township, Adelman and land planner John Kennedy told the board during their Aug. 28 meeting.
“At one time, this was much more agricultural, in terms of its makeup. In recent years, it has changed quite a bit, and grown as the township has grown,” Kennedy said.
The site is bordered by limited industrial zoning to the north, and multifamily residential to the south, with part of the area off-limits to development because of a branch of the Skippack Creek running through the site, Kennedy said. Early plans from the developer call for a complex of 96 townhouses, with no more than five attached together, dubbed “carriage homes” by the developer, with a master bedroom on the first floor and two bedrooms upstairs.
Access to the development would be from two driveways onto Old Forty Foot, one directly across from Camelot Way, and large stormwater basins would be located on the far east and far west sides of the site.
Private roads, driveways and trails would run throughout the site, with “a significant amount of open space that would be saved with this plan,” Kennedy said, pointing out buffering between the houses and neighboring developments. Each house would have a two-car driveway and two-car garage, plus additional parking spaces scattered throughout. Township Supervisor Joyce Snyder asked what cost the developer planned to sell the townhouses for, and Pulte Vice President of Acquisitions Sam Carlo said similar homes in Bucks County already exist, with a target for prices in the “mid-600s,” for units of roughly 2,400 to 2,800 square feet.
Board sounds off
After the presentation, the supervisors sounded off on the concept.
“I am not a fan. I’m looking at the density, thinking about the number of people, the number of cars. You talk about the rural nature. That is a very rural road, that will not tolerate that kind of traffic,” said Supervisor Laura Smith.
“I just think this is a giant nightmare that would impact, terribly, the residents that already live over there. It’s rural, and should stay rural. That’s my opinion. Your job will be to convince me otherwise, but that’s a tough one,” she said.
Board Chairman Chuck Wilson asked if the developer planned to make any upgrades to the roadway, and traffic engineer Ben Guthrie said a preliminary traffic assessment of the site has been made, and initial applications made to PennDOT, to make sure the two driveways meet PennDOT line of sight requirements.
Towamencin’s board of supervisors, inset, see a sample of five ‘carriage homes’ similar to those that could be built in a project proposing 96 townhouses on a roughly 24-acre parcel on Old Forty Foot Road during the Aug. 28, 2024 meeting.Supervisor Kofi Osei said he thought that area is “the worst part of our township, as far as traffic,” and has seen and heard reports of that road flooding.
“We do, as a township and as a state broadly, do have a housing shortage, so I also want to be careful not to say ‘no’ absolutely. So my biggest ask is actually a more compact layout, to make that stormwater management a bit better,” Osei said.
“If we can start some of the pedestrian improvements on Old Forty Foot Road through this development, if it happens, I think that’s the direction I’d like to take it,” he said.
Adelman answered that the early concept plan already included “substantial” stormwater management in the forms of the buffering and basins shown on the draft plan, those facilities were developed in consultation with the township’s engineer, and they could help the township meet its state and federal mandates for runoff reduction into the creek.
“There’s ample opportunity on the property to be able to address that concern, as we go through the permitting process,” he said.
Wilson asked if the developer had any plans for widening or other improvements to Old Forty Foot, and Adelman said the developer’s team will do further study as the plans are refined. The board chairman said he thought the latest plan was “certainly a better project than what was brought in for this property before, which was mid-rise, high density apartment buildings,” totaling roughly 400 units.
“There’s obviously going to be something built here, and this is certainly a huge improvement from what was presented before,” Wilson said.
Adelman answered that they’d take the feedback from the board into consideration, and present again at future meetings. After the public presentation, residents commented on social media about the proposed plan, with most voicing similar concerns about traffic impact and flooding.
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 25, both at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www.Towamencin.org.
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