Middletown supervisors adopt zoning change to allow 34 townhomes, with six units set for Habitat for Humanity

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24 adopted Ordinance 25‑O1, a text amendment to the township’s Professional (P) zoning district that allows townhome (residential) development on certain P‑zoned parcels and creates a conditional attainable‑housing pathway for smaller sites.

The ordinance specifically enables a developer, WB Homes, to move forward with plans for 34 townhomes at the former Knights of Columbus property at 1492 Woodburn Road in Levittown. Under the plan presented to the board, 28 units would be market‑rate townhomes built and sold by WB Homes; six units would be built by WB Homes and conveyed to Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County for resale under a land‑trust model that the presenter said would preserve affordability over time.

Supporters said the change repurposes office‑oriented P‑zoned land that has become difficult to market. Attorney Ed Murphy, representing WB Homes, told the board the text amendment provides two paths: a by‑right residential option that requires a minimum of 10 acres (which the Woodburn site does not meet), and a smaller‑lot attainable‑housing option for parcels at roughly 3.5 acres that requires a minimum of 20% of units to be “attainable” under the ordinance. Chris Canavan, president of WB Homes, said the developer plans 34 townhomes on the Woodburn Road parcel and identified Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County as the nonprofit partner that would screen and guarantee the long‑term affordability of the conveyed units.

Florence Kowachik of Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County described the nonprofit’s household selection and resale model: “We go through a very rigorous process in terms of checking income,…