Buckingham Township Approval of Unwanted Development Raises New Concerns for Rezoned Industrial Land Near Doylestown Airport
Doylestown, PA, March 28, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Did you know that two weeks ago, Buckingham Township Supervisors approved a development it did not want but could not reject because the plans submitted met all zoning stipulations? Did you know that Buckingham Township Supervisors could face a similar situation if it is presented with building plans for junkyards, solid waste disposal or fuel storage along the Cold Spring Creamery Road, even if the Township or residents do not want them built?
Last October, in an effort to thwart the plans for Doylestown Airport to bring its airport runway length in compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Runway Safety Advisory, Buckingham Township Supervisors hastily rezoned land north of the airport bordered by Cold Spring Creamery Rd., Burnt House Hill Rd, Landisville Rd and Stony Lane to remove airport as a permitted use. At the same time, it made junkyards, solid waste disposal and fuel storage permitted rather than conditional uses, and added a new use for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This zoning change was approved by township supervisors despite being advised against doing so by its own township planning commission and the three Commissioners for the County of Bucks.
“Two weeks ago, on property elsewhere in Buckingham, township supervisors reluctantly approved a development because the developer brought forth plans that met all of Buckingham's stipulations,” states FODA President Alan Shaw. “The two approving supervisors (Rash and Forest) have told the press they had no choice except to approve it, as they had to comply with the law. This is exactly what FODA has been trying to warn neighbors regarding the township rezoning of land near the airport to permit uses like junkyards. The Buckingham Township Supervisors have limited power to refuse industrial development of land when industrial development is permitted by the zoning ordinance.”
Friends of Doylestown Airport has been voicing its concerns regarding the potential adverse impact of October’s rezoning for neighbors living near the rezoned properties, much of which had been earmarked as preserved open space as part of the airport runway safety project. The actions of the Buckingham Township Supervisors this month underscores the lack of power township government has when developers submit plans for development that may be undesirable but are otherwise in compliance with all applicable regulations.
In 2001, Buckingham Township and the Bucks County Airport Authority entered into an agreement to preserve over 130 acres for local open space uses and extend the runway 800 ft. to improve safety, with funding paid for with Aviation Fuel Tax Trust Fund money and not local tax dollars. Plans were then derailed amid controversy and misrepresentation of facts. FODA firmly believes in the need to preserve the 130 acres of open space to save it from industrial development and the extension of the runway by 800 ft. to provide greater safety for pilots and the community in accordance with an FAA runway safety advisory.
FODA is a grassroots initiative to clarify the issues, dispel the myths, and underscore the positive aspects of the plans to protect open space near the airport that Buckingham Township recently rezoned to permit fuel storage, junkyards, concentrated animal feed operations (CAFOs) and solid waste disposal. FODA will continue its efforts to educate, raise awareness, and understand concerns of the community regarding the positive aspects of this open space preservation project that will be financed without cost to local taxpayers.
Friends of Doylestown Airport (FODA) is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation formed as a business league for the improvement and promotion of business and environmental conditions at the Doylestown Airport for the benefit of the common interests of users and residents in the vicinity.
For further information about FODA or to register for future public information sessions, please email Friends of Doylestown Airport at info@friendsda.org, call (267) 828-0152, or visit http://www.friendsda.org.
Contact Information:
Becky Barlow
Communications Coordinator
info@friendsda.org
(267) 828-0152
Source: Friends of Doylestown Airport
Web site: http://www.friendsda.org
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Last October, in an effort to thwart the plans for Doylestown Airport to bring its airport runway length in compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Runway Safety Advisory, Buckingham Township Supervisors hastily rezoned land north of the airport bordered by Cold Spring Creamery Rd., Burnt House Hill Rd, Landisville Rd and Stony Lane to remove airport as a permitted use. At the same time, it made junkyards, solid waste disposal and fuel storage permitted rather than conditional uses, and added a new use for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This zoning change was approved by township supervisors despite being advised against doing so by its own township planning commission and the three Commissioners for the County of Bucks.
“Two weeks ago, on property elsewhere in Buckingham, township supervisors reluctantly approved a development because the developer brought forth plans that met all of Buckingham's stipulations,” states FODA President Alan Shaw. “The two approving supervisors (Rash and Forest) have told the press they had no choice except to approve it, as they had to comply with the law. This is exactly what FODA has been trying to warn neighbors regarding the township rezoning of land near the airport to permit uses like junkyards. The Buckingham Township Supervisors have limited power to refuse industrial development of land when industrial development is permitted by the zoning ordinance.”
Friends of Doylestown Airport has been voicing its concerns regarding the potential adverse impact of October’s rezoning for neighbors living near the rezoned properties, much of which had been earmarked as preserved open space as part of the airport runway safety project. The actions of the Buckingham Township Supervisors this month underscores the lack of power township government has when developers submit plans for development that may be undesirable but are otherwise in compliance with all applicable regulations.
In 2001, Buckingham Township and the Bucks County Airport Authority entered into an agreement to preserve over 130 acres for local open space uses and extend the runway 800 ft. to improve safety, with funding paid for with Aviation Fuel Tax Trust Fund money and not local tax dollars. Plans were then derailed amid controversy and misrepresentation of facts. FODA firmly believes in the need to preserve the 130 acres of open space to save it from industrial development and the extension of the runway by 800 ft. to provide greater safety for pilots and the community in accordance with an FAA runway safety advisory.
FODA is a grassroots initiative to clarify the issues, dispel the myths, and underscore the positive aspects of the plans to protect open space near the airport that Buckingham Township recently rezoned to permit fuel storage, junkyards, concentrated animal feed operations (CAFOs) and solid waste disposal. FODA will continue its efforts to educate, raise awareness, and understand concerns of the community regarding the positive aspects of this open space preservation project that will be financed without cost to local taxpayers.
Friends of Doylestown Airport (FODA) is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation formed as a business league for the improvement and promotion of business and environmental conditions at the Doylestown Airport for the benefit of the common interests of users and residents in the vicinity.
For further information about FODA or to register for future public information sessions, please email Friends of Doylestown Airport at info@friendsda.org, call (267) 828-0152, or visit http://www.friendsda.org.
Contact Information:
Becky Barlow
Communications Coordinator
info@friendsda.org
(267) 828-0152
Source: Friends of Doylestown Airport
Web site: http://www.friendsda.org
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Contact
Friends of Doylestown Airport
Becky Barlow
267 828-0152
www.friendsda.org
Becky Barlow
267 828-0152
www.friendsda.org
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