Christopher Valeri, head of the Buckingham Township Historical Society, asked the Pennsylvania Attorney General on Aug. 14 to block the sale of the 24-acre Hart Tract to a luxury townhouse developer.
Valeri's "formal complaint and petition for investigation" targets both the sale to Richard Zaveta of Zaveta Custom Homes and the zoning change the Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors was scheduled to vote on four days later. The board approved that change 4-1 on Tuesday, Aug. 18, clearing the way for 36 luxury townhouses on the property at 2250 S. Easton Road. The Bucks County Herald first reported the complaint.
Valeri's filing calls the planned sale a "fundamental diversion of charitable assets" and "a severe mission drift." He argues that Pennsylvania law prevents the Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS) from selling property gifted for charitable purposes without first petitioning the Orphans' Court.
The complaint asks the AG's office to issue an immediate cease-and-desist on the sale and zoning change, compel a full accounting of original deeds and donor agreements, enforce Orphans' Court jurisdiction, and investigate whether the society is liquidating historic property to cover operational deficits.
"The rush to liquidate the Hart property without a public Request for Proposal (RFP) for alternative public use or low-impact conservation buyers appears to indicate a potential failure of transparent fiduciary oversight," Valeri wrote in the filing.
The AG's office confirmed receipt of the complaint on Aug. 14. No further action has been announced.
BCHS and township push back
BCHS CEO Kyle McCoy said in an Aug. 27 email that the society had received "a letter from Mr. Valeri" but had not been notified by the AG's office of a formal complaint. McCoy has maintained for more than two years that the Hart property carries no deed restrictions and the society is free to sell it. He has said sale proceeds would support the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle.
Board of Supervisors Chair Jen Herring said the township had not heard from the AG's office. She said she believes the complaint's township-related portion is without merit and that she is proud the board approved a zoning change adding protections for historic buildings and land in Doylestown Township.
Eric Nagy, Bucks County's director of policy and communications, said the county's only role was to review the zoning change and declined to comment on the complaint. Valeri sent copies to the county's three commissioners and to all five township supervisors.
What the zoning change allows
The Aug. 18 vote rezoned the Hart Tract from I-2 Institutional to R-1 Residential under a new B-15.2 classification. The ordinance caps density at 3.2 units per acre, requires at least half the property to be placed under a conservation easement, and mandates preservation of the historic house, barn, wagon shed, animal shed and springhouse on the site. Zaveta's plans call for 36 townhouses along with restoration of the existing stone house and barn.
Supervisor Christina Maida cast the lone "no" vote. "I can't green light this. Luxury townhouses are not what's needed," she said at the Aug. 18 meeting, as reported by the Bucks County Herald.
What comes next
Zaveta must still submit formal subdivision and land-development plans to the township for review. Traffic, lighting, setbacks, stormwater and environmental impacts remain unresolved. No timeline has been set for that submission or for the AG's review of Valeri's complaint.
