An unpaved road runs between houses along Welsh Road in Hatfield Township and the so-called ‘Movie Lots’ currently in the process of being sold by the North Penn School District, as seen in July 2025.
Developer says suit will clear paper streets from 1922 plan
New developments surrounding the so-called “Movie Lots” in Hatfield have prompted updates from the developer, the township, and neighbors.
All had their say recently about a lawsuit filed by developer Pulte Homes and involving more than 100 neighbors living near the 56-acre property where the developer is proposing to build more than a hundred houses.
“Pulte is planning a new residential development in Hatfield, and is seeking a court declaration to clear up a 1922 development plan that includes unused ‘paper’ streets on the property,” said attorney Sheila Novak on behalf of Pulte.
In mid-September 2024 the North Penn School Board announced and approved a $15 million sale agreement with Pulte for the “movie lots” near Welsh Road. The lots total about 56 acres and are located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Welsh and Forty Foot roads and are farmed on a year-to-year contract with an area farmer. The parcels which essentially are strips roughly 100 feet by 20 feet had been given away by movie theaters in the 1920s as prizes for those attending movies. The land was acquired by the district over the years for non-payment of property taxes, and selling the lots had been discussed by the board as far back as 2022.
That initial vote included a 90-day due diligence period that has since been extended several times, and the district has said the extensions were requested in part to allow time for testing on the site, and to continue talks with Hatfield Township staff and residents on developing the movie lots and adjacent “Beach property” as one combined project rather than two separate ones; early plans had shown Pulte building 85 homes on the movie lots and 78 more on the Beach site.
Site plan showing the “Movie lots” owned by North Penn School District, and the adjacent “Beach property” just to the north, located off of Welsh Road, at bottom, in Hatfield Township. (Image courtesy of North Penn School District)Recently, neighbors near the lots received letters and subsequent lawsuit documents from Pulte, with a deadline to respond that appears to run out this week, the first week of August, explaining that pending suit, and what it means for the neighbors nearby.
“While these paper streets were never constructed or used, Pennsylvania law requires us to get a declaration from the court that these plans from 1922 will not impact our proposed development. To do this, we are required to file a legal action..seeking relief,” said the letter.
That letter also includes contact info for neighbors to contact Novak and another attorney representing Pulte.
“Required by Pennsylvania law, homeowners with property within the boundaries of the 1922 development plan are required to be named as a party defendant,” Novak told The Reporter.
“Pulte informed these homeowners in advance as a courtesy and has provided points of contact in case the homeowners wish to avoid the inconvenience of their involvement. The select group of homeowners is being named in the legal filing as a formality due to the historical layout, but the case won’t affect their property rights,” she said.
During the most recent township commissioners meeting, resident Patricia Houston-Martinez — who has previously voiced concerns about pesticides used on the fields and the impact of the development on traffic and wildlife there — added comments about whether those paper streets belong to Pulte or the neighbors there now.
“The paper streets are no longer publicly owned. They are privately owned, by us. Half the street next to your property is yours. It is not public,” she said.
Crops grow below sunny skies on the so-called ‘Movie Lots’ off of Welsh Road in Hatfield Township, as seen in July 2025.“In the United States you are free to be gullible and ignore a lawsuit. But in fact Pulte is trying to take our property because we don’t know that it’s ours,” Houston-Martinez said.
And the township and its elected officials are limited in what they can say, but no plan approvals are imminent, according to Commissioners President Tom Zipfel.
“The Township is unable to comment on the matter, as it involves ongoing litigation. However, this legal process is separate from the land development project, and the Township has not yet received any application related to this property,” he said.
Hatfield’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 27 and the township planning commission next meets at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19.
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