Affordable Housing Project Gets Approval

A 42-unit affordable housing apartment building proposed by Woods Services, a nonprofit serving individuals with disabilities, has been approved for Middletown Township.

On Monday evening, the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors granted preliminary and final land development for the project after a presentation by representatives from Woods Services.

The project, which is known as Meadow Brook Apartments, will be constructed on the Woods Services property near Route 1 and South Pine Street (Route 413), bordering Langhorne Borough.

“This relates to attainable housing,” said Mike Meginniss, the attorney representing Woods Services.

The attorney explained that a third-party management company approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) will manage the building and conduct background checks for all applicants.

Phase One of the development includes 42 units: 29 one-bedroom, eight two-bedroom, and five three-bedroom apartments. Nine of these units will be specifically designated for individuals with intellectual or traumatic brain injuries, according to the plans.

The four-story building will have 65 parking spaces and four outdoor electric vehicle charging stations.

Access to the site will be through Woods Services’ internal road system.

Concerns raised by residents at a previous Planning Commission meeting, including traffic impacts and stormwater management, were addressed during the presentation.

Eric Clase from Gilmore and Associates, the project’s engineering firm, detailed a plan for an underground basin to manage stormwater to make sure water is released at a “less rate and volume” than current conditions.

The planned Meadow Brook Apartments will have access to recreational facilities within the Woods Services campus that are “clearly within walking distance.”

The project required two waivers: one for simultaneous preliminary and final plan approval, and another regarding building access requirements.

Approval was granted with several conditions, including the completion of a traffic impact study for both phases, the installation of the berm and fence, and the planting of trees along the property boundary.

“We are going to install a berm between the parking and the property line. It will be 2 foot high,” Clase explained. “On top of that berm will be a six-foot fence, privacy fence. You will not be able to see through the fence. And then on the outside of that fence on the Route 1 side, you will have evergreens.”

Meginniss said that any future development of Phase Two would require separate approval from the supervisors.

Supervisor Dana Kane questioned the criteria for selecting residents.

Meginniss stated that Woods Services is not directly managing the property but is working with PHFA and a vetted third-party management company to ensure applicants meet specific criteria. He added that Woods has “as strong a vested interest as anybody” in proper vetting, given that nine of their clients will reside in the building.

Meginniss also said the housing is not Section 8 housing.

While some residents expressed concerns about increased traffic congestion, and Meginniss stated that a traffic impact study would be conducted.

He added that he is “very confident that this development is going to have a minimal impact.”

Earlier this spring, Woods Services received approval from the supervisors for a new zoning overlay district on part of its sprawling property as it looks to its future. The new Community Development Transitional Overlay District covers 113 acres of Woods Services’ property in the township as the nonprofit looks to the future of its site.

The overlay district permits uses such as business or medical offices, a pharmacy, limited retail stores, a guest house for visiting families, and educational facilities. Many of the facilities already are and would be used for Woods Services or related entities.

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