Commercial Uses Proposed For Former Northampton Police Station

RICHBORO, PA — Two bidders have stepped forward with plans to redevelop the former Northampton Township Police Station at 50 Township Road.

Last summer, the supervisors voted unanimously to transfer ownership of the 7,300 square foot cinder block building to the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County, which was charged with soliciting proposals for the redevelopment the property.

According to township manager Bob Pellegrino, the two bids received are proposing commercial establishments for the site, which is located across the street from the township building and next to the district court.

The first is from BSI Construction, which submitted a proposal to covert the existing building and pole barn into a physical therapy and sports rehabilitation facility.

The proposed tenant is Petroski Physio, a Philadelphia-based sports-focused rehab facility that primarily caters to athletes with a focus on surgery recovery and injury prevention. BSI submitted a proposed purchase price for the property of $940,000.

The second is from Richboro Owners LLC which envisions combining the property with the former Courier Times building next door into a mini-town center. The proposal includes a brewery or a
brewpub/restaurant, a sushi Japanese restaurant, health facilities (yoga, Pilates, etc.), an ice cream shop and other uses that might be permitted by the zoning ordinance and would complement a town center concept. They proposed a purchase price of $900,000.

Pellegrino said the administration will “take some time in the next month or so to vet and review the proposals and to perhaps gather additional information from the two proposals. We will have a
recommendation or at least additional information at a future board meeting.”

Pellegrino said the board will then consider directing the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority to execute an agreement of sale on one of the proposals.

The board will have the ability to chose whichever option it deems appropriate and at that point they would approve the RDA entering into an agreement of sale for the property.

Following the execution of an agreement of sale, the proposer will need to secure land development approval for the project from the township, including engineering reviews.

“Hopefully at some point we will go to settlement,” said Pellegrino. “And as a sale of an asset, I would recommend using that money toward improving our capital infrastructure.”

The property has been appraised at $880,000.

The township went through the same process a decade ago with the former Richboro School property, which is now an office building.

The township also utilized the Bucks RDA to solicit proposals for the redevelopment of the former Mill Race Inn in the Holland section of the township. A proposal to redevelop that site with age restricted condominiums will be considered by the supervisors sometime in the next few months..

Last April, the township’s planning commission voted 4 to 0 with one abstention to recommend approval of a preliminary/final plan with conditions to redevelop the site with a 55 and older residential condominium complex overlooking Mill Creek.

The plan proposes to demolish part of the former mill, but preserve the historic part - about 2,000 square feet - for use as office space.