A newly formed Buckingham Township residents group urged neighbors to attend the zoning hearing board meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18, where a two-year-old challenge to the township's agricultural zoning rules was scheduled to be heard again.
The Forest Grove Village Association pushed the call to action on its Facebook page ahead of the hearing on a case filed by Michael Feeney targeting the property at 1739 Forest Grove Road, as reported by the Bucks County Herald. Feeney, represented by attorney John A. VanLuvanee of Eastburn & Gray, argues that Sections 502.A.1 and 502.A.2 of the township's zoning ordinance "unduly and unconstitutionally restrict the development of single-family detached dwellings and the achievable density on lands zoned AG-1."
The outcome of the hearing has not been confirmed.
A case two years in the making
The challenge, docketed as PH240027, has been continued at least seven times since it was filed in 2024, with scheduled hearings in March, June, September, October and December 2025, then January and July 2026, according to township zoning hearing board agendas. The January 2026 session was cancelled outright, with the case pushed to July 20, 2026.
The Forest Grove Historic District, a roughly 34-acre area centered on Forest Grove and Lower Mountain roads, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. The FGVA argues the farmland, hedgerows and open sightlines surrounding that core are inseparable from the village's character.
"The fields, hedgerows, farm lanes, and open sightlines surrounding the village are not incidental scenery, they are the reason the historic core reads as a village at all," the association wrote in its Aug. 16 founding announcement.
The group says it does not oppose development outright. It wants substantial projects near the village designed to reduce effects on the historic setting, pointing to Solebury Township's requirement that subdivision applicants identify nearby historic resources and viewsheds.
What the board could decide
The Buckingham Township Zoning Hearing Board's decisions are final and cannot be overruled by the Board of Supervisors, according to the township's website. Either the applicant or the supervisors may appeal to the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.
If Feeney's challenge succeeds, the AG-1 density restrictions on his parcel could be struck down, potentially opening the door to more homes than current zoning allows. If it fails, existing limits remain in place.
The zoning hearing board meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Buckingham Township Building, 4613 Hughesian Drive. Residents can follow the FGVA on its Facebook page for updates on the case's next steps.
