Developer presents ‘Farm’s Edge’ active‑adult plan at Shady Brook; neighbors raise buffer, trail and drainage concerns

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Fox Lane Homes presented a concept plan on Feb. 24 for a 53‑acre portion of Shady Brook Farm in Middletown Township, proposing an age‑restricted community the developer says would limit school‑age children and aim to preserve open space while generating tax revenue.

Fox Lane representative Joe Morrissey and builder representatives showed a plan that, in the developer’s current layout, included roughly 161 units (about 135 carriage‑style homes and 26 single‑family houses) with a clubhouse, pool and multiuse trails that would tie into existing ponds and the township trail network. The company described landscaping, community gardens and “wildflower meadow” treatment for open areas and said the homeowners’ association would maintain roads, common areas and landscaping.

The developer said the active‑adult product was chosen to reduce the number of school‑age children compared with a conventional single‑family subdivision and to respond to strong local demand for age‑restricted housing. John Rathin of Fox Lane said similar developments draw most buyers from within about five miles and argued the plan could be a “win” for tax revenue and reduced traffic impacts compared…