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Jun 29, 2023

Auto parts warehouse plan withdrawn in Buckingham

Buckingham officials are working to dispute allegations about a possible Amazon warehouse coming to the township, after a recent social media post turned heads. The post, which appeared July 21 on the

Buckingham officials are working to dispute allegations about a possible Amazon warehouse coming to the township, after a recent social media post turned heads.

The post, which appeared July 21 on the Mike Bateman for Buckingham Township Supervisor Facebook page, included a photo of a large building with an Amazon sign and the question, “Is this coming to Buckingham?”

The post referred to a 58-acre property on Cold Spring Creamery Road, known as the DiGirolamo tract, which consists of two parcels owned by Eugene DiGirolamo, Jr., Mary DiGirolamo and Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, Jr.

Over the course of a few days, concerns over a potential warehouse hit a boiling point, as the post made its rounds with a call to action for township residents to attend the Aug. 2 planning commission meeting and voice their opposition.

“Make no mistake, this is very bad for Buckingham,” the post read. “Turning Buckingham into a warehouse district will hurt property values, endanger our local residents, ruin our roads and create so much more traffic.”

Following the post, right-to-know requests and phone calls poured into Buckingham, which led officials on July 25 to post a detailed explanation on their website stating that “No, an Amazon warehouse is not coming to Buckingham Township.”

Township Supervisor Jon Forest further refuted the claims during a July 26 board meeting.

“This board never received a proposed Amazon warehouse, the planning commission never looked at an Amazon warehouse, the board of supervisors never voted on an Amazon warehouse. There has never been anything that has to do with an Amazon warehouse,” he said.

Sketch plans, which had been discussed during a board work session in February and presented to the planning commission in March, proposed a 150,000-square-foot auto parts warehouse with 30 loading docks and four garage ramps. The proposal also included 300 parking spaces, a Stoney Lane entrance for trucks and tractor trailers, and an entrance off Progress Meadow for employees.

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During the presentation, Edward Murphy with Wisler Pearlstine, LLP, who represents the applicants, said the proposed warehouse would “serve a need for a local vendor.” The vendor was not named by Murphy, but township officials said an original sketch plan from October 2021, showed the project as a “Beans Parts Warehouse.” Fred Beans Automotive Group owns several dealerships in Bucks County, along with a parts center in Doylestown.

In addition, preliminary and final land development plans dated May 17 were filed with the Bucks County Planning Commission showing the proposed warehouse.

The warehouse plan was withdrawn by the applicant, and the township removed the DiGirolamo tract proposal from its Aug. 2 planning commission agenda.

In a letter dated July 28, Murphy said his client decided to withdraw in order to “evaluate, review and potentially revise” the plan, after receiving a copy of an extensive review by the township engineer and hearing reservations about the plan expressed by Forest during the July board of supervisors meeting.

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No new or revised plans have been submitted yet, but in his July 28 letter, Murphy wrote, “we will advise if and when the plans will be ready for resubmission and reconsideration.”

The property is in a PI-2 planned industrial district, which is intended for business, commercial, office and laboratory uses, according to the township’s zoning ordinance.

Examples of permitted uses in this district include general farming, agricultural retail, recreational facility, indoor athletic club, veterinary office, outpatient surgical center, auto repair shop, manufacturing, warehousing, fuel storage and solid waste facility.

Any applications for proposed developments go through an extensive approval process — involving reviews by township staff, consultants, the Bucks County planning commission, the township planning commission and board of supervisors — before it can be approved or denied.

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