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, availability, the fact that they have to live or work in Bucks County…we have actually a committee that comes together and determines the families or households of most need.” Kowachik also explained Habitat’s shared‑appreciation land‑trust approach and said the organization would be responsible for ensuring the three‑party arrangements that keep those units affordable for later buyers.

The ordinance also changes several technical site requirements in the P district that supervisors discussed during the hearing. As presented to the board, the amendment reduces minimum required open space in the P district from 40% to 30%, raises maximum impervious coverage to 55% and increases building coverage to 30% in the attainable‑housing option. Township staff said the changes are intended to allow more compact residential development on parcels previously zoned for professional and office uses.

Board members and staff noted the proposal had already been reviewed by the township Planning Commission and by Bucks County planning; both provided favorable recommendations and the amendment had been advertised as required. Several supervisors framed the change as a response to shifting market demand for office space and cited the township’s interest in adding worker‑housing options — including for occupations such as firefighters, paramedics and school staff — that many residents rent into the county’s housing market.

Public commenters raised traffic, school capacity and neighborhood character concerns. Eric Bruno, a resident, asked technical questions about how Habitat households will qualify and how mortgages would be structured; Kowachik and WB Homes representatives said Habitat will screen buyers for income and readiness to hold a mortgage and that the nonprofit’s land‑trust/leasehold approach is intended to preserve affordability across future resales. Other speakers pressed the board on the ordinance’s effect beyond the Woodburn Road parcel; the amendment applies to the township’s Professional zoning district and could affect several such properties along Woodburn Road, an issue supervisors said they weighed in deliberations.

After discussion, the board voted to approve Ordinance 25‑O1. The motion passed with four votes in favor and one opposing vote. The board chair said the next step for the Woodburn Road site will be a conditional‑use and land‑development review during which site plans, stormwater, buffering and detailed construction plans will be examined.

Votes at a glance (other actions taken at the meeting): - Consent agenda (payment of bills totaling $2,937,039.54; minutes; various security releases and appointments): approved, 4‑0. - Authorized solicitor to draft and advertise an amendment to the sign ordinance (to make temporary‑sign rules content neutral): approved, 4‑0. - Appointed Burkheimer (Birkheimer) to collect the stormwater impact fee: approved, 4‑0. - Authorized purchase of upgraded patrol rifles, optics and suppressors (police): approved, 4‑0; township will accept a $10,000 grant toward suppressors and reallocate taser funding as needed. - Authorized advertisement to solicit bids for Langhorne Gables Phase 2 drainage project and for North Flowers Mill Road drainage project; both were approved to be advertised, 4‑0. - Rejected public bids for a pipelining project and awarded contract to Snyder Environmental Services (CoStars vendor) at $160,700: approved, 4‑0. - Authorized rebid/advertisement for bus services for the 2025 summer recreation program: approved, 4‑0. - Authorized volunteer fire/EMS stipend program payments for township volunteers (2024 program): approved, 4‑0.

Why this matters: The ordinance creates a formal pathway for residential redevelopment in a professional‑office zoning district that supervisors said has become difficult to lease for office uses. The adoption pairs a developer proposal with a nonprofit partner and an attainable‑housing requirement intended to reserve a portion of units for lower‑income buyers; it also relaxes site‑coverage rules, which some supervisors and neighbors said raises legitimate open‑space and density concerns that will be subject to site‑level review at the conditional‑use and land‑development stages.

What happens next: WB Homes and its partner said they intend to submit a conditional‑use and land‑development application with detailed plans, a memorandum of understanding with Habitat for Humanity, and technical studies (stormwater, traffic, buffering) for the board and public review.

Sources and attribution: Presenters and commenters quoted or paraphrased in this article are drawn from the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors meeting transcript. Direct quotes are from: Ed Murphy (attorney for WB Homes), Chris Canavan (president, WB Homes), and Florence Kowachik (Habitat for Humanity of Bucks County). Public commenters included Eric Bruno (resident). Board discussion and vote outcome are recorded in the meeting transcript.

Ending: Supervisors said the conditional‑use and land‑development steps will offer further opportunities for technical review and public comment before any building permits are issued.