Here's the latest plan to bring a warehouse to 58 acres in Buckingham
A plan for a proposed 150,000-square foot warehouse in Buckingham is back on the table.
The site plan for the redevelopment of a 58-acre property on Cold Spring Creamery Road, known as the DiGirolamo tract, was submitted to the township last month by J.G. Petrucci Company, a developer based in Asbury, New Jersey.
A review of the plan is scheduled to take place at the Feb. 7 planning commission meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the township building.
The proposed warehouse includes 30 loading bays, two parking areas and access drives to Stony Lane and Progress Meadow Drive on two parcels owned by Eugene DiGirolamo, Jr., Mary DiGirolamo and Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, Jr.
Safety, traffic among concerns by residents opposed to project
Mike Bateman, a township resident who began voicing his opposition to the project last summer, created a Facebook group last month for he and other residents to stay informed on the project and discuss their concerns over issues such as safety, traffic, noise, pollution, water runoff and home values.
The group, called Buckingham Neighbors Against the Warehouse, has nearly 600 members, as of Monday.
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In an email to this news organization, Bateman shared his concerns about two of the 18 variances requested in the submitted plan — waivers to a requirement for sidewalks or bicycle/pedestrian paths along all existing and proposed streets and another requirement for streets of inadequate width or condition to be widened or reconstructed to meet current township standards.
“When it comes to public safety, there is no room for shortcuts,” Bateman wrote in his email.
“By granting theses waivers, huge trucks will be driving up and down a narrow street all day, every day. On any given day residents can be seen running, walking, riding their bikes in this area. It is not an overstatement to caution that this combination could get someone killed.”
Second attempt for Buckingham warehouse proposal
The recent proposal appears largely similar to plans submitted by J.G. Petrucci Company nearly a year ago before they were pulled over the summer.
Last year, a sketch plan for the proposed warehouse on the DiGirolamo tract was originally discussed during a board work session in February and presented to the planning commission in March.
During the presentation, Edward Murphy with Wisler Pearlstine, LLP, who represents the applicants, said the proposed warehouse would “serve a need for a local vendor.” The vendor was not named by Murphy, but township officials said an original sketch plan from October 2021, showed the project as a “Beans Parts Warehouse.” Fred Beans Automotive Group owns several dealerships in Bucks County, along with a parts center in Doylestown.
After preliminary and final land development plans dated May 17 were filed with Bucks County, it was scheduled to return to the planning commission in August.
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But just days before the meeting, the proposal was withdrawn.
In a letter dated July 28, Murphy said his client decided to withdraw in order to “evaluate, review and potentially revise” the plan, after receiving a copy of an extensive review by the township engineer and hearing reservations about the plan expressed during the July board of supervisors meeting.
The property is in a PI-2 planned industrial district, which is intended for business, commercial, office and laboratory uses, according to the township’s zoning ordinance.
Examples of permitted uses in this district include general farming, agricultural retail, recreational facility, indoor athletic club, veterinary office, outpatient surgical center, auto repair shop, manufacturing, warehousing, fuel storage and solid waste facility.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Buckingham to review warehouse plan for DiGirolamo tract
