Pleased with the already-accomplished redevelopment near the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County, Buckingham Township this month approved a Fred Beans car dealership close by.
The developer previously indicated it would be a Hyundai dealership.
The board of supervisors on Jan. 24 also granted preliminary land development approval for a biotechnology research lab. The dealership and lab would sit on a total of nine acres fronting both North Easton Road (Route 611) and Old Easton Road.
Supervisors hailed the plans as fixing both environmental and view-shed problems related to the former presence of a construction materials-intensive, commercial operation there.
The subsequent further redevelopment would also include a pedestrian trail connecting various parts of the redevelopment and the surrounding parcels, such as the new Wawa. The trail was noted as an example of a development theme supervisors say they “have been looking for.”
Land development engineer Gilmore & Associates, of New Britain, along with representatives of the Fred Beans Organization, fielded questions from supervisors and staff regarding plans to reconfigure the Anthony-Sylvan Pools property.
Management of both new properties is understood to be under a new LLC started by Beans. The new car dealership is to move forward promptly.
The timing of the biotech use depends on some of the dozens of small startups in the center setting up more extensive operations there. One has already received major recognition for the development of a new hepatitis vaccine, but there are as yet no prospective biotech tenants for the new property.
All of the present buildings, as well as paved and gravel areas, relating to the existing abandoned use are to be demolished as part of the redevelopment, with the proposed site to have “more aesthetically pleasing view sheds,” while significantly “reducing existing impervious cover.”
Supervisors and staff had previously noted the further redevelopment as an extension of similar results from the already completed redevelopment in the vicinity, with the new Wawa and other projects praised for their contribution to overall environmental improvement, including ending some stormwater runoff flooding problems.
Also at the Jan. 24 meeting, supervisors thanked several residents for their interest in preserving General Greene’s Inn, also known as Bogart’s Tavern, on York Road.
The residents noted the contributions of Major General Nathanael Greene during the Revolutionary War, and the property’s role as a “gathering place for local militias, soldiers, and prominent figures of that time.” They called for the “reinstatement of the Buckingham Historical Society” as a first step toward preservation.
They promoted the preservation as “leveraged to support educational initiatives, enabling students to learn about the nation’s founding and the sacrifices made during the war,” while “the inn itself could serve as an interactive museum, engaging visitors in an immersive historical experience.”
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