Horsham Council adopts official map for former Willow Grove Naval Air Station

Horsham Township Council voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance establishing an official map for the former Naval Air Station (Willow Grove), designating locations for public streets, parks, open space, trails, stormwater-management areas and public-support facilities.

Gilday Walker, who presented the map at a public hearing, said the official map is intended to be consistent with the township’s approved 2012 redevelopment plan and the federal reuse agreement. He told the meeting the 862-acre site includes roughly 25%—about 200-plus acres—dedicated to open space, and that the map’s green areas may represent parks, stormwater control or other preserved open-space functions.

“The official map is simply designating public lands and facilities,” Walker said, adding it does not itself authorize residential or commercial uses. Walker emphasized there is no current land transfer or construction underway and that the map is a planning tool to guide future development and protect public facilities unless the council amends it.

The presentation traced the site’s redevelopment history: the base was listed for BRAC closure in 2005, the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority was formed in 2006, the Navy left in 2011 and the community redevelopment plan was federally approved in 2012. Walker also noted a 2024 term sheet between the HLRA and the U.S. Navy covering phased transfers and that PFAS contamination identified in 2014 continues to affect cleanup and redevelopment sequencing.

In public comment, Julie Kohler asked how open-space acreage and placement were determined and whether groundwater contamination precludes public water-supply wells. Walker said the roughly 25% open-space figure came from public input during the 2009–2012 planning process and that existing Navy/Biddle wells are identified for cleanup work rather than public supply.

Council members asked how flexible the plan is. Walker said the BRAC process constrains major changes—adopting a very different open-space percentage (for example, increasing to 50%) would require restarting a federal BRAC redevelopment process that could take several years. He also described proposed infrastructure: roundabouts for the base’s four major intersections, a Norristown Road extension, a perimeter trail easement and several pump stations to convey sewer flow to the Keith Valley Road treatment plant.

Council adopted the ordinance by roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously. Walker and staff said the official map can be amended by council in the future if circumstances change. The council indicated a comprehensive rezoning proposal—intended to reflect the approved redevelopment plan—will follow and staff are aiming to present rezoning before year-end.