The former U.S. Navy base in Horsham is slowly moving toward long-awaited redevelopment, writes Lacey Latch for the Bucks County Courier Times.
Fourteen years after the closure of the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Horsham Township Council will hold a public hearing on its official zoning map later this month. The hearing comes after the unanimous council decision in June to adopt an ordinance rezoning the base from industrial to residential.
“We wanted to get something done,” said Michael Shinton, executive director of the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority.
Since 2011, the township and the Horsham Land Redevelopment Authority have explored a potential mixed-use redevelopment of the site. Progress on the 862-acre property off Route 611 was delayed by extensive PFAS cleanup efforts led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ever since toxins were discovered, officials have been working on acquiring the portions of the former base that have since been remediated. In the meantime, to prepare the site for future work, they have taken other steps, including rezoning.
“We’re just trying to be proactive about getting the property ready for when that transfer can occur,” said Shinton.
Read more about the Horsham site in the Bucks County Courier Times.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in August 2025.
