Horsham Township to Back Air Base Reuse Proposal

The Horsham Township Council voted unanimously Monday night to issue a letter of support to the Horsham Land Reuse Authority regarding its redevelopment plan for 862 acres of the .

The plan, now in its , is set to receive final approval—along with a few tweaks—at the HLRA March 21 meeting before the plans are due to the federal government by March 31. 

Township manager Bill Walker recommended the council authorize him to pen the letter of support, which the three members in attendance agreed to with little discussion. Council Vice President Gregory Nesbitt and Councilman William Whiteside, who chairs the HLRA, were not in attendance. 

The plan would convert the 862 acres of the total 1,100-acre base into a mixture of residential and commercial properties, with more than 1,400 homes, a collection of retail units along Route 611 and a middle school for . 

In detailing the plan to the council, Walker noted that the area of the property designated for housing units for the homeless will be moved slightly from the original projection and an undecided area near 611 will likely become a retail space, changes he said that should be unveiled at the March 21 meeting. 

The public has had an opportunity to comment on the plan for the past two weeks, and will continue to be able to offer their thoughts to HLRA through mid-March.

Walker said some residents have argued that their taxes will be pushed up by the redevelopment plan, which officials said is expected to cost - not including the expense of actually building the various developments. Despite the steep cost projections, Walker refuted the tax hike worries to council members. 

"People say, 'Oh my God, what is going to happen to my taxes?' but we will grow with the redevelopment," he said. 

The plan will not be implemented until between 2015-2020 and will take another 15 years until full completion, he noted. It is expected to create 7,057 new jobs and bring in about $5.1 million annually in income to the township. 

"With the extra revenue that comes in, we'll be able to hire an additional police officer or get an extra snow blower or whatever it may be," Walker said. "Like we were able to do in the '80s and '90s, we will be able to grow and add staff and whatever else we need because of the redevelopment."

Township Solicitor Mary Eberle also clarified that the imagery for the proposal doesn't necessarily communicate the layout of the housing areas. 

"This will not be house upon house upon house," she said. "A good percentage of this will be left for , and I'm not sure that's been explained that well." 

No members of the public offered comment on the plan at the meeting.