Toll Brothers Inc. returns with new housing proposal

Developers eye North Hanover for 200 age-restricted houses.

By: William Wichert
   NORTH HANOVER — They’re back.
   Several months after one of its development proposals was knocked down by township officials, Toll Brothers Inc. has returned to the table with a new idea to build more than 200 age-restricted houses on a 110-acre property along Cookstown-New Egypt Road.
   Those houses represent the latest proposal to build on a property that contains two lakes and a 6,000-square-foot house, which the Township Committee sought to preserve as a public park five years ago.
   After those efforts fell through, Toll Brothers entered into a contract last year with owner John Gale to purchase the property after its development plans are in place, said Chris Gaffney, a representative of the Pennsylvania-based developer.
   Toll Brothers representatives presented their plans to build a residential community for people age 55 and older in an informal discussion with the township’s Joint Land Use Board a few weeks ago, but they are still awaiting feedback from the municipality, said Mr. Gaffney.
   "Either positive or negative, just so we understand if it’s of interest to them," said Mr. Gaffney. "It’s an important thing for them to kick around."
   Louis DeLorenzo and Bill Tilton, the two Township Committee members who sit on the Joint Land Use Board, did not return calls for comment, but officials made their opposition to the first Toll Brothers proposal very clear eight months ago.
   Mr. DeLorenzo, who was then serving as township mayor, said last summer that he would not support changing the zoning regulations to make way for Toll Brothers’ proposal to build more than 600 age-restricted houses between Jacobstown-Arneytown and Paulson roads.
   But Mr. Gaffney said these latest plans may be more acceptable than the previous proposal, which was designed for a more rural section of the township.
   "It’s (the current proposal) in a different section of town. The general area is a little more densely populated," he said. "Understanding a little bit more about locations in the township helped us out."
   Mr. Gaffney said the company has also informed township officials of the benefits of having an age-restricted residential community, which would generate tax revenues without having any effect on the school system.
   Like the rejected plans, however, Toll Brothers Inc. would still need the township to alter its zoning regulations to build the community on Cookstown-New Egypt Road, said Mr. Gaffney.
   "We would require somewhat of a density increase," he said. "We’re not proposing townhouses or condominiums, which is very high density. We still want to start with single-family homes."