Towamencin’s board of supervisors, inset, see a concept plan from developer W.B. Homes for a cluster development of 33 houses between Kriebel Road, at right, and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. (Screenshot of meeting video)
Residents voice concerns about flooding, sightlines, and open space
A new project is seeking approvals that could add 33 new homes near the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Developer W.B. Homes made the case to Towamencin officials last week for a first set of approvals for a project on the 1700 block of Kriebel Road.
“We are not buying Freddy Hill Farms, and we are not developing Freddy Hill Farms. This is the farm to the rear of their property, off of Kriebel Road, it’s a much smaller piece of ground, unrelated to that property,” said W. B. Homes senior vice president Chris Canavan.
In early March news broke that the owners of the Freddy Hill Farms and Family Fun Center on Sumneytown Pike plan to close at the end of the 2025 season, after more than five decades operating on Sumneytown Pike near Troxel Road.
That news spurred plenty of suggestions about what could happen there, with many calling for the township to find a way to preserve it. The week after the announcement, township officials recalled time they had spent at Freddy Hill, and said they had early talks with the Seipt family near the start of a comprehensive plan update that began in 2023, but nothing since, while urging residents to share comments and take a survey for the plan update; that survey data was shared in late March, and included dozens of residents calling for preservation of the Freddy Hill site and the sites surrounding it.
One of those adjacent sites, 1780 Kriebel Road, is where developers are seeking a zoning change to allow a cluster residential development.
“We thought it was prudent to develop the site, rather than by current ordinance which would use up all the ground with by-right, 30,000-square-feet minimum lots, to a cluster,” Canavan said.
“This would generate a development that allows 1.1 dwellings to the acre, having a minimum lot size of 12,000 square feet, and require an average lot size of 14,000 square feet. We will generate approximately 33 new single-family homes, plus maintaining the existing farmhouse on a three-plus-acre lot,” he said.
An early concept for the project has been shown to the township’s supervisors and consultants for their feedback, and approval for the zoning change would be needed before the land development plans are refined and finalized, the developer told the board.
The parcel in question is roughly triangular and bound by Kriebel Road on the east side and the Northeast Extension on the west, and would include stormwater management basins on both frontages, a private road surrounded by houses on the northeast side of the plot, and leave the woods that currently stand at the west side.
“The big wood stand at the upper left stays intact. Our stormwater facilities are located adjacent to the development. We believe this is a more sensitive way to develop the same tract of ground, with basically the same number of plots,” Canavan said.
Supervisors chair Joyce Snyder asked if the project included any upgrades to Kriebel Road, and Canavan said it likely would, adding that the intersection of Kriebel with Anders Road “needs specific attention, due to some stormwater-related issues.” Canavan said the area near the intersection could see inlets and pipes added where none exist now, which could drain and channel any water from low spots in the roadway to the nearby basins.
Several public comments were fielded on the project; the first asked if it would develop the Freddy Hill site, and Canavan said it would not: “We are not affiliated with any development, associated with that property.” Bridget Stein said she lives nearby and had concerns about buffering, headlights and line-of-sight on those roads; Canavan said those plans would be submitted and discussed publicly during the land development approval process.
“There will be multiple opportunities to answer those kinds of questions,” Canavan said.
Joe Meehan, chairman of the township’s parks and open space committee, said one of the objectives of using the cluster zoning would be to allow more open space to be preserved, then asked if it would be available for all residents; Canavan said that would also be discussed during land development.
“There is a heavily wooded tree stand to the rear of our property that would be appropriate to keep and preserve. Whether it’s open to the public, I have no issue with that; whether it’s homeowners association or township open space, we can resolve that as we work through the process,” Canavan said.
The farmhouse and barn on the site would also be preserved by using the cluster development, “rather than just wedged into a row of homes,” and sidewalks running through the site could be used by the public but maintained by the homeowners association, the developer said.
After the hearing and Q-and-A, the supervisors voted unanimously to grant the zoning change request, and Canavan said he’d be back in future meetings with the land development plans.
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on May 28 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road; for more information visit www.Towamencin.org.
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