Shady Brook Farm Housing Plans Progressing

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A parcel of Shady Brook Farms has received preliminary approval for housing development.

The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors granted preliminary approval this week for the site to be zoned for an "Age-Qualified Community," said Brian Dries, spokesman for the Farms Edge at Shadybrook development team.

The updated site plan for the farm — which stretches between Lower Makefield and Middletown townships — includes 129 homes, with the senior living community expected to provide $1.9 million annually in new local, county, and school district real estate taxes, Dries said.

Dries said the project would not burden the Neshaminy School District.

The proposed plan provides $1.6 million more to the county, township, and the school district over the by-right single-family home plan, he said.

Plans will continue through the land development process until it reaches final approval, Dries said.

The development team will continue to meet with neighbors and offer to start on landscaping some of the neighborhood’s buffering now until final approval is reached.

In November 2023, the Fleming Family announced that they would transition the Lower Makefield Township farm to a fifth generation once 80 acres are sold to a developer.

Those plans include downsizing the property along the Newtown Bypass by selling 80 of its 130 acres to "a reputable, community-driven development team that would deliver new commercial and residential opportunities," the owners said.

Fourth-generation owners and siblings Dave, Paul, and Amy, plan to adapt a new business model that combines agriculture and entertainment within a smaller footprint, about 50 acres of where most of the business operations are currently located.

The business will remain mostly unchanged, and it will include new hospitality and entertainment offerings, including a restaurant, café, and wine and beer tasting rooms, featuring locally sourced food and drinks.

To preserve what Shady Brook Farm is best known for in the community, the classic events will be the focus of their evolving footprint, including the Summer unWINEd Concert Series, Pick-Your-Own Crop Days, and FallFest.

Click here to learn more details about the project