Doylestown Township advances zoning changes tied to proposed Hart Tract townhouse development
Public hearing expected on amendment that would allow 36 luxury townhomes on Bucks County Historical Society property
Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to move forward with advertising a proposed zoning amendment connected to a planned townhouse development on the Hart Tract property owned by the Bucks County Historical Society.
According to reporting by the Bucks County Herald, supervisors approved advertising both a zoning map amendment and ordinance changes before holding a future public hearing, as required under Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code. A hearing date has not yet been announced.
The proposal centers on the 24-acre Hart Tract property at 2250 S. Easton Road, which the Bucks County Historical Society has agreed to sell to developer Richard Zaveta of Zaveta Custom Homes. The agreement remains contingent on township approval of zoning changes needed for the project.
Plans reportedly call for 36 luxury townhouse units spread across three 12-unit buildings. Zaveta also indicated he intends to preserve and renovate the site’s historic 18th century farmhouse and barn before selling them separately.
The property was originally gifted to the historical society by George M. Hart in the 1990s. More than a decade ago, the township rezoned the tract for institutional use to support a Mercer Museum artifact storage facility constructed on the site. Zaveta has reportedly said the existing collections building would be demolished if the development moves forward, though the historical society has not publicly identified where the stored artifacts would be relocated.
To accommodate the project, township officials have proposed creating a new B-15.2 zoning subsection allowing multifamily residential development on parcels larger than 20 acres that contain township-designated historic structures.
The proposal has generated discussion among planning officials and residents in prior meetings. Planning commission member Tom Kelso reportedly raised concerns that the ordinance could increase development potential and property values for other historically significant tracts in the township, including Burpee’s Fordhook Farm and potentially portions of Fonthill.
