Horsham Hearing Set On Navy Base Development. Learn Details

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — Horsham Township is planning a public hearing next month to amend an ordinance on the final preferred land use plan for the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.

Horsham Township Council unanimously approved in a 5-0 vote to amend an ordinance after Township Manager Bill Walker said the township and the Navy have agreed to a phased-in approval process.

The township sees the 862-acre base off Route 611 as a mixed-use development that would include a town center, office park, and regional recreation center, along with some housing.

A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held at 7:45 p.m. on June 11 at the township building.

Approval may allow the township to develop some land that does not need extensive cleanup. The amendment also allows the township to be ready once the Navy signs off on the arrangement, officials said.

The process has been long in the making, with ownership transfer discussions to Horsham Township going back more than a decade regarding the base, which is wrapped by Horsham Road, Route 611, and County Line Road.

The NAS-JRB Willow Grove property represents 8 percent of the 17-square-mile township.

The redevelopment plan is being overseen by the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority.