Future of Willow Grove Air Base

The Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base has stopped all military aircraft and is expected to close September 15, 2011. The air base occupies a vast amount of land in Horsham, nearly 892 acres which is 7 percent of our township’s total acreage. It’s no surprise there will be debates and various interests on what to develop the land into. The Horsham Land Reuse Authority (HLRA) currently holds meetings open to the community and has hired a consulting firm, RKG Associates. RKG has a background with redevelopment of military bases and is going to work with the residents in Montgomery and Bucks County. Craig Seymour, the president of RKG Associates, Weston Solutions, and Urban Engineers along with the input from the locals are all involved in the redevelopment process. They started with studies that would predict what is best financially and economically for the surrounding area. Then RKG allowed the public to participate in a survey listing options of possible property use. Some of the options were shopping centers, educational facilities, new employment center, a residential neighborhood, developing a Horsham town center, establishing a civilian airport, and leaving the space vacant. Personally, I would rather not see more shopping centers built simply because they’re not needed. We already have tons of local businesses and malls available to us minutes away from our homes. It is still a matter of time until the final decision is made, meanwhile project directors maintain high hopes despite the challenging obstacles they will face.

http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2011/02/08/public_spirit_willow_grove_guide/news/doc4d51a7881e249797070387.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Date Reported: February 8, 2011
Reported By: Thomas Celona