The NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan represents a culmination of months of research and input from the HLRA Board and Horsham community. The resulting plan seeks a balance of land uses that capitalize on the region's strengths, as well as the needs and wants of the community.
The Redevelopment Plan is focused on the creation of job generating uses through a variety of mixed used including office parks, a hotel/conference center, low and moderate density residential areas and a Town Center. Possible amenities in the Town Center could include a movie theater, bowling alley, ice skating rink and other retail and restaurant options to serve the Horsham community. The Redevelopment Plan also provides for a school and recreation area, a historical aviation museum, family entertainment facilities and parks and open space.
Fiscal Impact
At build-out the expected total revenues to the School
District and Township in 2011 dollars is expected to be
approximately $13.6 million, $5 million over anticipated operating
costs.
Job Creation
At full build-out, it is estimated that over 7,000 jobs
will be created. The majority of jobs are a result of the office
park (4,652 jobs) and Town Center retail (1,198 jobs)
developments. Annual payroll at build-out is expected
to be $457 million.
Town Center
The Redevelopment Plan includes a mixed-use,
pedestrian-oriented Town Center that is accessible from both
Horsham Road (Route 463) and Easton Road (Route 611). The Town
Center will include retail, office, entertainment, and residential
uses. The Town Center also provides a sense of place with
gathering spaces and a plaza incorporated into the design. The
plaza can accommodate a water feature or recreational uses such as
an ice skating rink.
Residential Uses
The plan provides for distinct residential neighborhoods
that include a broad range of housing types and price levels. These
neighborhoods are connected together through a network of streets,
including a central Grand Boulevard, which provides access to parks
and open space. The street network encourages walking and
connectivity with the surrounding neighborhoods as well as other
uses in the site, such as the Town Center. Residential
neighborhoods are centered on a neighborhood park and have easy
access to recreational uses including pedestrian and bicycle
trails.
Office Park
Office and business parks are proposed along Horsham Road
and south of Maple Avenue and are in close proximity to the
proposed Town Center. The office parks are also positioned to take
advantage of public open space and golf course amenity that is
located in the middle of the office development off Horsham
Road.
Hotel/Conference Center
A hotel and conference center is located near the
proposed office parks and mixed-use Town Center. The proposed
hotel and conference center facility will have visibility from
Easton Road. The hotel is positioned to draw upon the demand that
will be generated from the proposed office
parks.
Congregate Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is proposed
in the northeast portion of the study area site between the Grand
Boulevard and Easton Road. A CCRC is a type of retirement community
where a number of senior care needs, from assisted living,
independent living and nursing home care, may all be met. Housing
types within CCRC's can include detached and attached single family
homes, duplexes, quadraplexes, apartments, and assisted living
center and nursing care units. Medical office and other support
facilities are also proposed in proximity to the CCRC.
School
A 40-acre site is proposed for the Hatboro-Horsham School
District for replacement of existing school facilities and future
expansion. The proposed school site would include a future middle
school, administrative and recreational uses. The school site is
centrally located near the intersection of Grand Boulevard and
Privet Road extension and within walking distance of the
residential neighborhoods. The school site is adjacent to the
recreation center, which allows for the sharing of recreational
facilities.
Retail
In addition to the retail programmed into the Town
Center, the final Preferred Redevelopment Plan has retail frontage
along Easton Road. Easton Road is a well-travelled road, and retail
located in this area is well-positioned to capture sales support
from drive-by traffic.
Regional Recreation Center
A regional indoor recreation center with several outdoor
recreation fields is proposed near the existing Gate 1 area with
visibility from Easton Road and adjacent to the proposed middle
school. The indoor recreation center may include multiple athletic
features such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, basketball courts,
climbing halls, multi-purpose hall, health and fitness club, tennis
and racquetball courts. An outdoor recreational area is also
proposed, and may include a range of active recreational fields
including soccer, baseball, lacrosse, softball and others. It is
hoped that these fields will be used to attract high school and
collegiate tournaments for soccer and lacrosse, among others. The
recreation center, school, and aviation museum/park were all
carefully planned to be clustered together so they could share
common facilities and open space features. This allows for a shared
parking area between the three uses and shared recreational/field
space.
Aviation Museum/Park
A 13.1-acre site is proposed for the future aviation
museum and park located on the eastern edge of the property with
direct visibility from Easton Road. The aviation museum and park
are being sponsored by Montgomery County, on behalf of the Delaware
Valley Historical Aircraft Association (DVHAA). The DVHAA is a
nonprofit entity currently operating the existing aviation museum
on site. The proposed museum and park will likely include a number
of restored aircraft and other historical artifacts relating to the
military's past activities at NAS-JRB Willow Grove. In the recent
past, the museum operated on 2.6 acres and more recently the HLRA
provided additional access to 4.3 acres through a lease agreement
between the Navy and the HLRA.
Homeless Housing
The Plan will provide for an area for permanent supportive
housing under provisions of the Base Closure Community
Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act of 1994 (The
Redevelopment Act). The Act details a community based
process where representatives of the homeless and other community
groups participate in the local reuse planning at closed military
facilities. The federal government mandates that groups that
provide services to homeless persons and families in Montgomery
County or Bucks County be given the opportunity to acquire property
at the former NAS-JRB Willow Grove for public benefit use.
The NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan appropriately balances the needs of the various communities for economic development, other development and homeless assistance. Approximately 10 acres will be designated for 70 permanent supportive housing units in response to the Notice of Interest submitted by Bucks County Housing Group/Genesis Housing Corporation/TRF Development Partners. The residential area will be integrated into the site with amenities and buffers required by all new residential developments in Horsham Township.
Parks/Open Space
The Redevelopment Plan includes a network of parks and
open spaces which will be able to provide for a range of
recreational uses and activities. A total of 205 acres of open
space is proposed within the land use plan, which comprises about
24% percent of the total land area. The parks and open spaces will
be able to support natural resources and vegetation. The park and
open space network also will be designed to be part of a
comprehensive stormwater management system and provide controls to
address localized flooding issues at the property boundaries,
especially along Keith Valley Road. Pedestrian and bicycle trails
will connect the study area with existing local and regional trails
within Horsham Township (Samuel Carpenter Park Trail and Power Line
Trail, etc.).
HLRA – Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority
1025 Horsham Road, Horsham PA 19044 | Telephone: (215) 643-3131 | Fax: (215) 643-0448 | mail@hlra.org
This website is designed to provide information about the HLRA initiatives in relation to NAS-JRB. This is not a Navy website.