Zoning Change OKed For Oxford Valley Mall Apartments

MIDDLETOWN, PA — Plans for 600 new apartments on the property of Oxford Valley Mall took a step closer to reality Monday night.

Supervisors in Middletown Township voted unanimously to approve a zoning change that would allow the two apartment buildings to go on the site. While the zoning change clears the way for the project, by Cornerstone Tracy Development, to proceed, the specifics of the development must still be approved by the township.

"We are excited about the prospect of delivering a modern, new apartment community to Middletown Township and the Oxford Valley Mall," developer Don Tracy said Tuesday.

At the supervisors' meeting Monday, several residents voiced concerns about issues including safety and traffic congestion — even as some acknowledged that the mall area is in need of revitalization.

Under the plan, mall owner Simon would sell 20 of the property's roughly 135 acres to the developers. The two, three-story buildings would go on the site of the former Boscov's, which would be demolished under the plan.

Tracy has said the development would be done in two phases, with the first building holding about 390 units and the second holding about 200-220. A timeline for the project depends on local government's approval, he said, but if all goes well, he said construction could start in about 18 months and the first phase would take about 2 1/2 years to build.

Cornerstone Tracy has built thousands of apartments over the past 25 years. In Pennsylvania, its projects have included Village at Valley Forge, near King of Prussia Mall.