Excellent Examples of Thoughtful Development in Worcester Township
There are three excellent examples of recent home developments that were planned around the cornerstone of Thoughtful Development in Worcester. They are Bellflower, Whitehall Estates, and the Preserve at Worcester. Each development design was guided by Growing Greener, a township ordinance passed in 2006 and Conservation Subdivision design.
To learn more about Growing Greener and Conservation Subdivision, Click Here.
Bellflower
Bellflower, built in 2023, is a 16 single-family home development near the intersection of Skippack Pike and Whitehall Road built on 34 acres of wooded land. Unlike many standard suburban neighborhoods in our area, Bellflower is a shining example of Thought Development in our township – protecting significant open space as part of the development plan and balancing growth in Worcester with the existing rural character that makes our township so special.
The Preserve at Worcester
In 2016, The Preserve at Worcester, 48 acres of open space at the intersection of North Wales Road and Skippack Pike, also applied this type of development using Conservation Subdivision.
It was Worcester’s first development to use Conservation Subdivision and also to use Transfer of Development Rights (TDR’s). The subdivision consisted of five separate parcels totaling 130.8 acres. Two of the parcels allowed for 39 homes to be built with the remaining three parcels to be permanently preserved as public or private open space. By using transfer of development rights (TDR)* the developer was able to build more homes than would have been allowed by transferring the development rights of one or more properties to the subdivision.
This resulted in approximately 50 acres of land being dedicated to Worcester Township for public open space. This was a win-win for the developer and for Worcester residents.
Worcester’s proactive Conservation Subdivision zoning and thoughtful developments like these should be applauded.
*Transfer of development rights" (TDR) is a zoning tool that allows landowners to sell the right to develop their property to another location, essentially "transferring" the development potential from a "sending area" (like a protected natural area) to a "receiving area" (a designated development zone), enabling the landowner to be compensated for preserving their land while allowing increased development density in the receiving area; this is often used to protect environmentally sensitive land while still facilitating development in desired areas.
Whitehall Estates
Whitehall Estates began in 2018 on Whitehall Road near the intersection of Township Line Road. The original tract was 117 acres, including 34 wooded acres. Thirty-six new homes were built along two different, parallel cul-de-sacs separated by streams and woods left protected as additional open space.
There were three additional lots created as part of the subdivision for a total of 39 lots in all. One of these lots is a nearly 50-acre working horse farm once referred to as “Our Farm” on Potshop Road. This property was permanently protected from development to satisfy open space requirements of Conservation Subdivision.
In addition to “Our Farm”, one of the three additional lots was created to preserve a stone farmhouse fronting on Whitehall Road. Worcester was able to grow, while also preserving our agricultural and historic heritage, open space, and rural feel.
