Quiet evenings. An open
field here and there. Limited
congestion on the roads-
most of the time.
These are just a few of the
charming attributes Lower
Makefield residents have
grown accustomed to and it is
the lure of these qualities that
makes living in the area so
appealing. If residents want
to hear blaring traffic sounds
at all hours of the day and
night or see big office complexes
out their windows,
they’d move to the city, right?
Maybe not.
If Frankford Hospital’s proposal
to construct a new location
at the corner of Yardley-
Newtown Road is approved,
residents just may get all the
sights and sounds of urban
living.
This is the reason citizens of
Lower Makefield and the surrounding
areas have formed
Residents Against
Frankford’s Relocation
(RAFR). The group opposes
Frankford’s proposal to build
a 375,000 square foot hospital,
as well as two 40,000 square
foot buildings on the open
land next to Shady Brook
Farm.
The land is currently zoned
as Office/Research, but
Frankford Hospital is
requesting that the Lower
Makefield Township Zoning
Hearing Board make a “special
exemption.”
Many residents say they are
opposed to the proposal.
“My main concern is the
traffic,” said Ed Lynch, who
has lived on Stoney Hill Road
for 11 years.
He has other issues with the
new hospital as well. “I question
the needs assessment for
a healthcare facility considering
that St. Mary’s and the
New Jersey Hospital are only
a stone’s throw away.”
The New Jersey hospital he
is referring to is Capital
Health System’s new location
presently going up in
Hopewell, only a few miles
north on interstate 95.
Irene Koehler, who lives off
Lindenhurst Road, is
Chairwoman of RAFR. She
led a meeting attended by 18
residents on Tuesday, Feb. 17
at the Lower Makefield
Township Library. By going
door-to-door and sending out
mailers, the grassroots organization
hopes to gain many
more members than its current
500.
“This is going to impact the
whole township and we’re
trying to get the word out,”
Koehler said. Residents
arrived with coffee in one
hand and notepads in the
other, determined to stop the
relocation.
“This is not going to happen
overnight,” said Ron
Smith, a Lower Makefield
Township supervisor. “But it
is possible to win this fight;
you just have to be in it for
the long haul. Remember
RAMP?” he said, referring to
Residents Against Matrix
Project, a group formed in
2003 to oppose commercial
building near the Oxford
Valley Mall.
RAFR has hired a citizen’s
attorney and is seeking donations
to cover costs. Koehler
explained to Lynch that traffic
would be some of the
worst in the area for him,
because Frankford plans to
close its current location
across from the Oxford Valley
Mall. “You’ll get all those
people coming from Fairless
Hills and Levittown, right
down Stoney Hill Road,” she
said.
Having the hospital means
taxes will go up for residents.
In addition, Lower
Makefield Township Police
Chief Ken Coluzzi pointed
out that the township would
have to hire five more officers
if the hospital is built. Each
officer would cost over
$100,000 with salary and benefits.
“A lot of people don’t
realize what this is going to
take. Seniors especially seem
to want this, but wait till they
see what is does to their
taxes,” said Smith.
The Lower Makefield
Township supervisors
oppose the proposal, as well
as the Traffic Commission,
and Environmental Advisory
Board.
Anyone who wants to get
involved can e-mail
[email protected], or visit
rafr.org.