Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority anticipates appointing a consultant in January to lead the next redevelopment phase for Willow Grove air base.
The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority expects choose a consultant in January to lead the next phase of acquiring - and over the next two or three decades - redeveloping the bulk of Willow Grove air base A consultant will likely be appointed from the two submissions received in October related to devising a business plan and pro forma. That process is expected to take about 10 months and is a necessary part of obtaining the land as part of an economic development conveyance. HLRA Executive Director Mike McGee explained it previously as a way to acquire the land on "layaway" of sorts. HLRA Chairman W. William Whiteside and Vice Chairwoman Joanna Furia have interviewed both of the professional firms, Matrix Design Group and Weston …
Friday, November 16, 2012
In anticipation of the Willow Grove air base redevelopment, the Horsham Township Council is taking steps to increase its traffic impact fees for new construction.
It will cost developers more money to build in Horsham under a proposed ordinance that would nearly triple the traffic impact fees paid for new construction. The Horsham Township Council introduced an ordinance to establish its new transportation impact fees during Wednesday's meeting. The proposed ordinance, which is slated for an early January adoption, is the final step needed to update Horsham's 20-year-old Act 209 Plan, which sets the amount developers pay. The original plan set traffic impact fees at $826 for the eastern portion of the 17-square-mile township and $480 for the western portion of the township. As proposed, the fees would increase to $2,366 for the east and $2,235 for the west, according to Horsham Township Manager Bill…
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority hopes to have a consultant in place by January for the next phase of the reuse process for Willow Grove air base.
The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority will likely wait another two months to select a consultant to lead the board in the next steps of its roughly 10-month process aimed toward redeveloping Willow Grove air base. Given that only three of five HLRA board members were present for Wednesday's meeting, Executive Director Mike McGee said it would be best to wait until the full board could be present to discuss what's next for the lengthy redevelopment process, which is expected to take 25 years to complete. The most immediate action is for the board to select a professional firm from the two submissions received last month to the board in devising a business plan and pro forma. McGee told Patch that he hopes to conduct interviews with …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Two firms have applied to lead the next phase of the lengthy redevelopment project.
The Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority received a pair of applications from firms vying to lead the next roughly 10-month phase of Willow Grove air base’s redevelopment. HLRA Executive Director Mike McGee said Matrix Design Group teamed with “a number of folks” in a $768,920 proposal, while Weston Solutions collaborated with RKG Associates, Inc. on a separate $475,505 submission. RKG served as the HLRA’s lead consultant during the most pivotal phase of the 862-acre redevelopment plan, which included countless public meetings and presentations ultimately leading the board to advance plans without an airport. Based on the uses the board approved last year, RKG also plotted what would go where on the base redevelopment plan, which has …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association hopes to obtain hangar 175 at shuttered Willow Grove air base in Horsham to spread its wings in restoring planes. An official overseeing the site's redevelopment said, 'It's not going to happen.'
As the long-term redevelopment of Willow Grove air base unfolds, the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association is looking for more space: More room to restore planes and more area for public access to artifacts. In particular, the operators of the Wings of Freedom Museum on Route 611 in Horsham want to obtain hangar 175, described by DVHAA volunteer Mark Hurwitz, as the “biggest hangar and in the best shape” of all remaining at the now-shuttered base. “It’s close to where we are,” Hurwitz said of the nonprofit group’s existing space, which is still owned by the federal government. “It’s a big area and you could do a lot with that.” “Could” is the operative word. The Horsham Land Reuse Authority – the entity tasked with locally …
Monday, July 9, 2012
The 73,000-square-foot building opened on a portion of the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove.
Months before 75 percent of Willow Grove air base would close its doors to military operations forever, the federal government was building a $16.5 million home for 715 Army Reservists. The Army Reserve’s 99th Regional Support Command held a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday for a 73,000-square-foot building on a portion of the roughly 240 acres which comprise the Horsham Air Guard Station. The training facility, which was finished in June 2011, according to a press release on the Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System Web site, will be home to soldiers from a number of various Reserve units under the Army Reserve’s Legal Command, 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 412th Engineer Command, 200th Military Police Command, 3rd …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The plan will be sent to the federal government by Friday; the Horsham Township Council considers forming a new authority to manage the development process.
The final roadblock for submitting the approved redevelopment plan for Willow Grove air base has been cleared, officials said Monday. An agreement has been reached related to a legally binding agreement for a roughly seven-acre parcel earmarked for homeless housing on the 862-acre tract, Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker notified the governing body during Monday night’s meeting. “As of this afternoon we do have an agreement,” Walker said. “Signatures are expected Wednesday.” From there, the mixed-use blueprint for the bulk of the 1,100-acre former military base will be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Department of Defense on Friday, Walker said. The finalized plan, which has been seven years…
Monday, March 12, 2012
A look from outside the fence of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove.
Click here for an archive of Patch's coverage of the base and its impending redevelopment.
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NAS-JRB Willow Grove
Route 611, Horsham, PA
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Of that, runway demolition is expected to cost $17 million.
The Horsham Land Reuse Authority is closing in on the homestretch for approval of a redevelopment plan for 862 acres of shuttered Willow Grove air base. On Wednesday night, the board’s consultant, RKG Associates, presented a final view of what the property could look like dotted with 1,416 mixed-use residences, a 13-acre aviation museum, a 40-acre middle school, a robust town center and regional recreational area, an estimated 70 housing units for the homeless and a 133-acre office park expected to create more than 7,000 jobs – and a $457 million annual payroll - upon build out. The culmination of a “close to final” plan, according to HLRA Chairman William Whiteside, has led the board to its last hurdle before approving the reuse blueprint…
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Bill Walker gave the annual "State of Horsham" address Wednesday afternoon during the Greater Chamber of Commerce's annual luncheon.
Easing traffic, boosting business and redeveloping the shuttered Willow Grove air base – while keeping taxes flat – were agenda items for Horsham’s future as Township Manager Bill Walker presented the annual “State of Horsham” Wednesday afternoon. “(Traffic) is our No. 1 priority in Horsham,” Walker told the crowd of more than 100 gathered for the Greater Horsham Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “If you can’t move, you have issues and it affects jobs, it affects businesses, it affects people’s attitudes.” Key in improving transportation infrastructure and helping traffic flow better is to continue with public/private partnerships, Walker said. In the short-term, Walker said a designated left lane would be added at Gibraltar and Dresher roads…
James Kephart Jr.
6:11 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Have to agree with Mike here. I know what a cargo jet landing at 2am sounds like. 3X the existing cost does seem like a well timed money grab though... more ›