Help preserve the historic site and fragile ecosystem on Fiddler’s Creek
Click here for agendas of upcoming meetings. https://www.hopewelltwp.org/AgendaCenter/Zoning-Board-of-Adjustment-7
Report on Hopewell Township Zoning Board Meeting This Past Week
Hollystone Hotel/Restaurant Complex
The Zoning Board again confirmed the attorney for the board is currently drafting a resolution outlining conditions that the developer must comply with. Her site plan will need to adhere to all of these conditions. It was clear the Zoning Board had begun a discussion of these conditions prior to their deciding vote on August 4th. We believe the Board must develop a more comprehensive set of conditions that addresses the multitude of concerns the public voiced – and our experts confirmed. The draft resolution may be ready for the next meeting on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. We’ll be watching the Township Agenda Center closer to that date.
Brewery
The September 6th agenda also included an item concerning a proposed brewery at Bellemont Farm at the corner of Goat Hill and Valley Roads, which also sits in the very same sensitive Mountain Resource Conservation (MRC) zone. The primary reason for the establishment of the MRC in the early 90’s was to address the lack of water supply in this part of the Township. A brewery is typically a water-intensive operation and would involve the use of large amounts of water from the limited aquifer below it. The Zoning Board announced that the brewery item was removed from the September 6th agenda because the Township Planner lacked sufficient time to review it. We’ll continue to monitor the project and provide updates.
Sign our petition right here on this site
The historic Hollystone Manor has been slated to be turned into a hotel with spa, gift shop, full-scale restaurant, and gym.
Hollystone Manor is a historic home in Hopewell Township. Built before 1819 by the man who founded Titusville, it represents Hopewell Township’s history. Surrounded by a many acres of fragile ecosystem in the restricted Mountain Conservation zoning district, the land hosts myriad species of flora and fauna.
The home’s new buyer wants to turn this historic and environmentally-important property into a private hotel, which will permanently alter the landscape and have a detrimental effect on rural western Hopewell Township.