Organizations Interested in Redeveloping Air Station Tour Grounds

About 80 people got a first glance on Thursday of how their vision for a park, school, homeless shelter, airport or more might fit into the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station.

They represented 35 government entities or nonprofit organizations.

Led by Michael McGee, Horsham Township Land and Reuse Authority executive director, the group departed Horsham Township's community center for an hour-long bus tour of the sprawling air base, which fronts Route 611 and Horsham Road in Horsham.

Once military operations cease completely in September 2011, 892 "surplus" acres of the 1,100-acre site will be available for redevelopment, McGee said.

Yet, McGee said it would be at least two years before any of the land is conveyed for reuse. Through March 22, organizations can submit a notice of interest to Horsham Township.

From there, the Land and Reuse Authority will evaluate each of the proposals and determine which alternatives might be incorporated. A reuse plan would then be developed and submitted to the appropriate government agencies for review. A final redevelopment plan is due in December 2011 and would be submitted for federal review, which he estimated could take between 60 days and six months.

The last step is to have the Navy conduct environmental impact studies, which would take an additional one to two years.

"If you're expecting to move in next month, cancel those plans," McGee said.

Besides the review and approval time needed, another factor lengthening the redevelopment process is that most of the buildings are still functional, according to Sherri Jones, public affairs director for the Navy.

Functioning as a community within a community, Jones pointed out the base's health clinic, library, supply warehouse, eating establishments and another all-encompassing building which houses a credit union, gym and barbershop among other things. The base even has its own fire department, a necessity, she said in case of aircraft fires.

The base is also home to some significant visits, Jones said. One of the structures, a small cream-colored building, is where Amelia Earhart was reportedly photographed while eating, Jones said. Air Force One and the President have paid about a dozen visits to the base in the last decade, Jones said.

A blend of old and new, some buildings date back to World War II, while the 52-room Navy Lodge is the base's newest building, Jones said. The lodge will close on January 16. Other buildings will follow suit with all operations concluded in September, she said.

Redeveloping the site once the military leaves is a priority, McGee said. One of the early hurdles to overcome is non-existent capacity at Horsham Township's water sewage treatment plant, he said.

"It must be resolved," McGee said. "We as a region can not afford … to have that property sit vacant."

For redevelopment consideration, organizations must propose "public benefit conveyances," such as schools, or education centers, hospitals or clinics, homeless facilities, public airports, parks or recreation areas or correctional facilities. Plans for residential developments or industrial parks would not be permissible, McGee said.

Nancy Szamborski, Bucks County Housing Group executive director, and former housing director at the air base, toured the site to see the possibilities for a homeless facility. Afterward, she said "it's a little too early to tell," if she would submit a notice of interest.

However, Szamborski said Bucks and Montgomery counties have shortages in "transitional" housing for individuals, or families who may need housing assistance for up to two years. Recently, the region has seen a growth of 30 percent in homeless families, she said.

Sean Closkey of Philadelphia-based The Reinvestment Trust Fund, said his group provides the financial muscle to make neighborhood revitalization possible. He has been working with the Bucks County Housing Group on a separate single-family housing proposal in Warminster that would help fund homeless facilities. Following Thursday's tour, Closkey said he was not certain what direction would be taken with regard to the base.

Even though possible redevelopment options have been discussed for years since the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission, in 2005, first announced the base's closure, McGee said the site's future is still up in the air.

"Nobody knows exactly what's going to happen on the base," he said. "This whole process will unfold in the months to come and the years to come."