How many houses are too many in Langhorne? Toll plan meets opposition
Toll Brothers plans to build a new townhome community in Langhorne Borough.
But how many homes the nationally known builder will be able to put up on 14 acres it plans to buy from Woods Services remains to be seen.
The borough Council voted 4-2 Wednesday night to oppose Toll's latest request for some 18 zoning variances to build 54 homes, down from a request for 60 homes in September that borough officials thought was too many, considering traffic congestion.
Toll and the borough have been negotiating for more than a year on the number of homes to be built on two parcels between Pine Street and Bellevue Avenues, with Flowers Avenue being the northern boundary and the Langhorne Presbyterian Church to the south. The site does not include the Revolutionary War cemetery or the Bella Tori at the Mansion restaurant.
The Langhorne Planning Commission has recommended a compromise plan for Toll to construct 36 homes, to be added to three historical homes that will remain on the property. Whether the builder can agree to that or another compromise remains to be seen, but the majority of Council decided to formerly oppose the variance requests so they would have representation at the next Toll hearing before the borough Zoning Hearing Board.
Borough Engineer George DiPersio presented the latest Toll plan before Council on Wednesday and the suggested plan, telling the overflowing crowd in the Council chambers that the planning board "has worked tirelessly" for months to come up with a proposal that it thought would work for both the borough and the developer.
Several residents spoke at the Council meeting, describing Langhorne as a livable, historic town with a wide variety of homes. They want that ambiance to continue. One resident said every one of Toll's proposals "looks like rowhouses....There's nothing on these plans that reflect what we have asked them to do," she said in frustration.
Liz Welsh of neighboring Langhorne Manor Borough attended the meeting, agreeing with the Langhorne residents. "The increased traffic will be hazardous," she said.
More: Toll wants to build 60 new townhouses in Langhorne
Councilwoman Nancy Culleton said she would vote for the Council to oppose the project as Toll now presents it in hope that the number of homes may be whittled down further. Council Vice President Rich Mason voted to oppose the plan but said he hoped Toll could be persuaded to help the borough in its negotiations with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation over traffic congestion in the borough and PennDOT's plan to build a partial cloverleaf interchange on Route 413 at the Route 1 Expressway.
But Council President Paul Murdock and Councilman Scott Haldeman voted against opposing Toll's zoning variance requests, saying Council should let the Zoning Hearing Board make its own decisions and that it will cost the Council more money to have legal representation at the meeting. They both also spoke about the tax benefits of the borough having more homeowners, with Haldeman saying there is a shortage of available housing.
Council member Kristen Farry, a Wood Services vice president, was absent from the meeting Wednesday.
Former Council President Carol Zettleberg urged the council members to oppose the developer's current plan by opposing the variance requests, saying it was "a big moment," for the borough to protect its future.
The Langhorne Zoning Hearing Board first heard testimony on the variance requests in September. The zoning meeting will continue at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Jesse W. Soby American Legion Post 148, 115 W. Richardson Ave., in the borough.
Toll Brothers could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Toll Brothers propose 54 townhomes in Langhorne Borough
