It has just been brought to my attention that the farmland around The Oley Turnpike Dairy will be going on the market within the next couple of weeks. As some of you know, Oley Turnpike Dairy was recently sold which included the Ice Cream Place, and the petting zoo. From what I understand, Greth Homes has interest in buying the surrounding land, and M.B. Investments was another one floating around as well along with Toll Brothers. Some early proposals include residential housing, and an amusement center similar to Family Grand Prix on Route 61.
Now I’m all for economic growth and development as long as it is done responsible which would include taking into account possible bottlenecks along Route 73, and Route 662, and Route 562. If these things are not taken into account, we will see congestion that makes Route 222 North look like a breeze.
Stay tuned as more information develops.
April 25, 2007 at 8:42 am
The entire township of Oley is in their historice district. HOPEFULLY, this could severely limit what, if anything, can be built there. Last thing this county needs is yet ANOTHER Greth/Grande/Forino “community”.
April 25, 2007 at 9:44 am
I agree with you SteveO. I remember when I was a kid I would always go to there for Ice Cream with my Mom and my Grandparents every Sunday after Church. I always enjoyed the open space and fresh air. The part that makes me scratch my head with this is that with all of this talk of the housing bubble bursting, but yet we are putting more supply in this case housing into the market.
Anybody notice some of these Greth communities in the county right now? My wife and I drove through the one in Blandon, and the other by Heckman Rd. in Muhlenberg Township, and there are tons of these $300,000 + properties on the market. It’s not just there, but throughout the county. How can you justify a demand when yet so much supply is on the market?
I was chatting with a couple of my real estate buddies last night about this issue, and while they could not release the owners names for privacy reasons, they did tell me one thing that I have been saying on this site for the past year now. All but one of those properties that are on the market in those communities have owners with interest only loans nearing the end of the interest only portion of the term, and can’t afford to keep them if they have to pay the principal on top of it. My buddies also told me that the real estate market will only get worse as more of these interest only loans get closer to their terms ending and people being unable to afford it.
In the end it comes down to a moral issue. People want to live like the Paris Hiltons, and Lindsy (B)Lohans of the world, and then it comes to bite them in the butt. Whatever happened to living within your means? God I learned that basic principle when I was in 1st grade.
April 26, 2007 at 8:59 am
It’s a mystery isn’t it? So much product and yet the builders insist there’s still demand. I live in northern Berks and have to contend with a sprawling 1300-house development going up in the school district in which I live (Schuylkill Valley). I called Ontelaunee Twp to question this whole project and was told the demand is coming from - believe it or not - NEW YORK commuters! Un-friggin-believable… These developers are getting out of hand. No home they build costs less than $200,000 unless it’s a townhouse. Who can afford these houses around here? As it’s turning out, not as many people can as they thought. Good, serves ‘em right. Let ‘em choke on their $2000 mortgage payment. All these people thought they were big shots buying these houses they couldn’t afford and now they’re getting smacked by reality.
And another thing about these developers…
None of their developments are even remotely attractive. I was doing some poking around on the internet and came across some sites on smart growth and smart communities. In these smart communities they take the current mold of suburban sprawl and kick it to the curb where it belongs. Houses and streets are built in grids like old-time communities, not with pointless “loop streets” and cul-de-sacs. Houses are mixed with businesses, schools, churches and parks. Streets are narrower, sidewalks are present, trees are planted on the streets. It ends up looking like, imagine this, a REAL neighborhood. People can actually walk to things and don’t always have to hop in a car. The Bryn Eire development in Morgantown was to follow this mold. Personally, I think Berks has plenty of houses. I hate the idea of ANY farmland being lost. BUT if they must build, why can’t they at least build smart? Instead the development companies take the lazy road and build the same old shit time and time again. Each development looks similiar to the other. The houses are alike, the neighborhoods are alike, the PEOPLE are all alike. Years ago people of all ages lived together. Now developers build “communities” for seniors and “communities” for the yuppies; no longer shall the two meet. You must drive to the store, drive to school, drive to church. Drive, drive, drive. The developers counter by saying “we’re only giving people what they say they want”. Bullshit. I doubt anyone is coming up to a developer and saying, “I want MY house in THAT orchard. Make it so!”. I doubt anyone is saying, “I want a strip mall in THAT field. Make it so!”. Pointless unplanned development is why ours roads are so clogged (route 222), why we keep needing school expansion (Exeter), why our taxes are so high (Daniel Boone). Enough already.