Buckingham Township supervisors are set to vote Wednesday, Sept. 23, on a conservation easement covering about 32.5 acres on New Hope Road.
The meeting agenda also includes a $9,860 change order that would push the Cold Spring/Fieldstone Water Interconnect contract past $1.8 million, a $196,422 payment to the project's contractor and a request for zoning relief tied to the Fred Beans Hyundai dealership and biotechnology research lab planned for Route 611.
Conservation easement
The board will consider approving an Agreement of Sale between Frank Ripp Jr., Debra Ripp and the township for a conservation easement on Tax Map Parcel 06-018-096. The parcel spans about 32.6 acres.
The Ripp family's conservation history with the township stretches back years. In June 2021, supervisors approved Resolution 2449 authorizing acquisition of an easement on three other Ripp-owned parcels. Two months later, the board transferred $850,000 from the General Fund to its open-space bond fund for an agricultural easement on roughly 76 acres at 4256 New Hope Road. Chairman Maggie Rash noted at that August 2021 meeting that the original property owners had applied for a conservation easement in 2004 but never followed through, and that the Ripp family later purchased the land and offered 82.61 acres for conservation.
At the board's June 24 meeting, supervisors unanimously authorized staff to negotiate an Agreement of Sale with Bucks County and the state for the easement and ordered an appraisal. Township Solicitor Craig Smith said at that meeting the township would also enter a separate agreement with the property owner.
The purchase price for the easement has not been made public.
Water interconnect tops $1.8 million
The board will consider Change Order #3 for the Cold Spring/Fieldstone Water Interconnect project, adding $9,860 and bringing the contract total to $1,806,394. GS Developers of Doylestown holds the contract, originally awarded in December 2024 at $1,746,170. Multiple prior change orders have increased the total since then.
A separate agenda item asks the board to approve Payment Request No. 12 to GS Developers for $196,422 in completed work.
Vice Chairman Jon Forest said at the June 24 meeting that "the money to pay for this project comes from the income received from the customers of the water system, not from the township's general fund or tax revenues."
Hyundai dealership seeks zoning waiver
Supervisors will consider a request for additional relief from the township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) for the Hyundai Dealership and Biotechnology Research Lab project. The request, prepared by engineering firm Gilmore & Associates of New Britain, asks for waivers related to limiting-zone definitions and minimum separation distances for infiltration basins.
The project covers about nine acres fronting North Easton Road and Old Easton Road, across from Doylestown Airport. Supervisors granted preliminary approval in January 2024, and the Bucks County Herald reported that officials described the redevelopment as fixing environmental problems from a former construction-materials operation. The board extended the developer's deadline to June 25, 2027, at its June 24 meeting.
Building permits were underway as of May, according to Buckingham building director Jim Kettler, PhillyBurbs reported.
Other agenda items
The board is also scheduled to release escrow funds totaling about $719,000 for the Village Crossing and Bonargo Tract developments, present a commendation to Officer Christopher Shaffer of the Buckingham Township Police Department and authorize advertising a Delinquent Property Tax Ordinance.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the township building. The board's next scheduled session is a budget work session on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. to discuss the proposed 2027 budget.
