In an effort to begin the review process for a requested zoning change on Penn Valley Road, the Falls Supervisors on Monday night authorized advertisement of an ordinance.
The board took no formal action on the parcel, which is owned by KPK Development and located at 700 Penn Valley Road. The authorization to advertise will enable the Bucks County Planning Commission, as well as the Falls Township Planning Commission, to begin reviewing KPK’s request to rezone the parcel from farming/heavy industrial to materials processing and manufacturing district to accommodate Nuuly’s approximate 1 million square-foot warehouse.
A rental subscription clothing service, Nuuly, a subsidiary of Urban Outfitters, already employs 1,300 people in Bucks County.
To date, a land development plan has not been presented to the Supervisors, according to Supervisors Chairman Jeff Dence. The Supervisors would not take formal action or consider the project until a plan has been reviewed by township professionals, including Township Engineer Joseph Jones of Jones Engineering Associates.
When residents voiced concerns over the existing roadway handling additional truck traffic, Jones shared that PennDOT permitting would most likely result in it being “an improved Penn Valley Road.”
Township attorney Mike Clarke said the authorization to advertise the zoning change is a “necessary step” to enable the review process to get underway. Once the planning commissions reviews the potential zoning change, a recommendation will be made to the Board, Clarke told several residents who had expressed concerns.
Some questioned how the Supervisors could authorize advertisement a day prior to the Aug. 25 planning commission meeting. However, Dence clarified, the advertisement was related to the Supervisors’ consideration of the proposed rezoning.
“Their job is not to decide if it’s an appropriate use,” Dence said of the advisory body. Instead, the planning commission will determine if rezoning the tract to materials processing and manufacturing district is consistent with the subdivision and land development ordinance, as well as the townships’ comprehensive plan.
Even if the parcel is not rezoned, Clarke told residents the project could still move forward.
“They can build this now,” Clarke said, noting that early sketch plans show dimensional issues, not use issues. “They can go forward with this plan because of the way it’s currently zoned.”
In other business, the Supervisors unanimously approved a tax settlement as recommended by Pennsbury School District for Aspen Falls Apartments. As part of the settlement, the parcel, which is located at 135 Trenton Road, will have its assessment increased effective from tax years 2021 through 2026. The largest single-year increase occurs between 2021 and 2022 when Falls Township’s tax rises from $8.66 to $348. Taxes for the valuation schedule would total $3,432.16 for tax years 2021 through 2026.
In addition, the Supervisors approved a change order for the 2026 road improvement program project for South Olds Boulevard for replacement of the failing culvert. Additional work was necessary to reopen South Olds Boulevard without weight limits.
“It’s a time sensitive thing,” Jones said. “We don’t want the road shut down for the seven months it would take to get through the bid process.”
The change order was approved in the amount of $1,160,092.35, but Jones said he was “confident that the entire amount won’t be used.” The Township has included funding for this capital project in its 2026 budget.
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