SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - At least 28 townhouses will be built next to a section of single-family homes off Gravel Pond Road, after supervisors approved the next step in the multimillion-dollar project.
At a supervisors meeting Monday, officials approved Phase 2A of the Preserve at Gravel Pond project proposed by Rick Florey of Florey Homes, Clarks Summit.
The measure calls for the construction of 28 townhouses - or duplex units - on the 70-acre development.
The townhouses, which will cost from $325,000 to $425,000, include designer kitchens and gas fireplaces, and range in size from 2,000 to 2,800 square feet.
Though there is no set date, Mr. Florey said he expects to have four townhouses built by the end of spring.
"They are spacious, and some have as many as four bedrooms," Mr. Florey said. "It's nice because residents have the ability to customize a lot of the features."
Mr. Florey said the townhouses will be built near the 29 residential homes that workers from Florey Homes are in the process of building now.
So far, eight residential homes have been built, with families occupying five of them, he said.
The final project, if approved, is expected to cost more than $35 million and will include 29 residential homes, 66 townhouses, a walking trail and paved driveway.
It is expected to take at least eight years to complete, Mr. Florey said.
"It has been in the works for more than five years," Township Manager David O'Neill said. "Once it is completed, it will be a nice-looking development."
Mr. Florey said there is no timetable for when he will seek final approval for Phase 2B of the project.
That phase will include the construction of the remaining 38 townhouses.
"It's a long and expensive project, but we think that the development, when completed, will be a great addition to the community," Mr. Florey said. "It's situated in a wooded-estate setting but is only minutes from the heart of the community."
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