Community demands input on air base redevelopment

The 200-plus residents who filled Horsham’s Community Center Monday were quick to point out what they did not want on the air base site following the military’s September departure.

A civilian airport, shopping centers and industrial sites topped the lists of unwanted options cited by many who spoke during the two-hour meeting.

Most speakers, after saying what they deemed to be unfavorable, in turn demanded to know what was planned for the surplus 892 acres of the 1,100-acre Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.

The answer came from the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority’s (HLRA) recently appointed consultant, Russell Archambault, vice president and principal of RKG Associates.

“You weigh in on what we put in the plans,” Archambault said. “We have a blank slate tonight.”

On Monday, the HLRA — the entity charged with writing a redevelopment plan for 892 acres of the 1,100-acre Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base — held the first of several community meetings aimed at gaining public insight as to the best use for the land, which amounts to roughly 8 percent of Horsham Township.

Those in attendance completed a four-question survey rating such things as expanding the township’s tax base, creating open space and meeting the housing needs of local homeless people, along with other development possibilities, including a regional shopping center, an education campus or a Horsham downtown district.

Archambault said the survey results would be tabulated and shared with the public during a future meeting.

In May, he said an interactive workshop is planned for the public to review sketches and early plans.

By July, Archambault said the community could see the presentation of conceptual reuse options, and in November, an open and final reuse plan presentation would take place. 

From there, a redevelopment plan would be finalized by year’s end and sent to the Department of Defense for approval. The federal government would ultimately decide which entities would receive the land and under what stipulations, and the price that would be paid.

But, before land can be conveyed and a formal redevelopment plan conceptualized, entities interested in acquiring property and building there must first submit official notices of interest to the township. The deadline for submissions is March 22. Officials have said that incoming proposals would have to be weighed against the cost to remediate the land. 

So far, the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association, the nonprofit group that operates The Harold F. Pitcairn Wings of Freedom Museum adjacent to the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base on Route 611, has expressed an interest in expanding onto 40 acres of the air base. Horsham Township is expected to also submit a proposal.

In December, 35 organizations — including education and housing providers — took a bus tour of the air base to see how the land, facilities and infrastructure might fit their needs. 

Mike McGee, HLRA executive director, said a submission does not by any means guarantee that the entity’s project will move beyond the concept phase.

“They have to be supported by various federal agencies,” McGee said, adding that the HLRA board makes a determination, as well.

For the consultant’s part, Archambault said RKG will begin studying the site, its buildings, the market and transportation.

Jay Etzel, PE, of Urban Engineers, Inc., said that 33,000 vehicles pass by the base on Route 611 every day, and 15,000 to 30,000 travel Horsham Road.

“We know the congestion of the area,” Etzel said, noting that calculations would be made to determine what further development would mean to the roads and “what kind of upgrades are necessary.”

Hatboro resident Bill Randel voiced concerns about environmental hazards and who would pay for them, as well as a loss in overall revenue to “keep school taxes low.” He said plans to build a 113-unit housing development in Warminster would not help in recouping the $908 million that he said the military base generated.

“It’s an EPA nightmare,” Randel said of the air base. “There’s no guarantee that government’s always going to pick up the tab for pollution … It’s going to cost this township money to take over the base.”

HLRA Chairman W. William Whiteside said the facility’s cleanup is “one of the highest priorities.”

A woman asked the board to let residents “vote” on the specific redevelopment options. And still others said the board should do more to reach out to the community. Archambault said the public's input would be considered. A Facebook page would be established, and the HLRA’s website would also provide information, he said. 

“Our job as consultants is to go out there and bring back to the community what we think can happen,” Archambault said. “You will react to it. [The board] will react to it. You have to speak up. This isn’t any different than any other town issue.”