Philadelphia native Erin Mullen always thought she’d be a “city girl for life.”
But after moving to Falls Township in 2008 and experiencing the “local charm” of suburban happenings like Fallsington Day, places like the Community Park, the kindness of neighbors and seeing her children – Nate and Lucy Kepcsynski, ages 12 and 10, respectively – thrive in community sports and public education, Mullen realized that simply wasn’t true.
In fact, she became so passionate about Falls that she decided to seek out a seat on the board of supervisors. Recently, supervisor Jeff Rocco, of Fallsington, who served on the board since 2012, announced his resignation. A career promotion made it difficult for him to juggle work and board responsibilities.
This left the five-member board with a vacancy, which it filled during the Oct. 18 meeting. Mullen, who has worked as a paralegal for the last 20 years, was sworn in by District Judge Jan Vislosky and will finish Rocco’s term, which continues through Dec. 31, 2023. She thanked her fellow supervisors and family, including husband Erik Kepcsynski, for their support, and acknowledged that her service as appointee is a bit different than someone who runs for elected office.
“I’ll give my very best effort to fulfill the duties as if you picked me,” Mullen said in an address to residents. “If I have a goal here, it is to uphold the community that has gifted me so much while increasing its availability to others.”
Supervisors chairman Jeff Dence, who made the motion to appoint Mullen, said, “I’m sure she’s going to be a great supervisor.”
Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, who was in attendance to provide an update on county happenings, called Mullen a “great choice” and said, “I’m glad to see you up there.” Harvie served on the board for 16 years prior to his first term as commissioner in January 2020.
In other Falls news, the board is continuing forward on U.S. Steel’s 1,800-acre overhaul. It unanimously approved a minor subdivision for a 76.83-acre parcel at 300 River Road, which is part of the massive U.S. Steel reimagining. NorthPoint Development, the owner of the site, intends to construct up to 15 million square feet of warehousing, creating between 5,000 and 10,000 new jobs. The redevelopment project would be carried out over multiple phases with construction of 20 or more state-of-the-art industrial warehouse buildings for various Fortune 500 companies.
In August, the board advanced the most recent construction phase of the project, giving the developer the green light to begin constructing a 1 million-square-foot warehouse building at the Keystone Trade Center as part of its first phase. Plans call for a 49-foot-high warehouse with 196 doors and 475 parking stalls, including 18 handicapped parking spaces. Trucks would enter the site primarily via Tyburn Road and Route 13. The roughly 60-acre tract is located on the southwest side of River Road, near South Pennsylvania Avenue and Tyburn Road.
In June, the supervisors voted to allow NorthPoint to subdivide two parcels at 100 River Road. The property totals 1,598.49 acres. Land would be divided into 10 industrial lots at the Keystone Trade Center. NorthPoint last year purchased more than 1,800 acres of the former U.S. Steel property. The developer will invest $1.5 billion into the transformation of the site. In all, the developer will spend an estimated $40 million to $45 million to remediate the site.
Next on the agenda, the board granted preliminary and final land development approval to Levittown Car Wash, LLC to redevelop a closed-down Shell gas station at 8601 New Falls Road into a car wash. Plans call for the existing car wash on the site to remain and for a 1,289-square-foot addition to be added along with parking and driveway improvements. The 861-square-foot convenience store and four gas pumps will be removed to make way for an employee office and four vacuum stations under the existing 1,719-square-foot canopy.
Once renovated and reopened, the car wash will restrict access onto Hood Boulevard during peak commuting hours. However, the car wash anticipates its peak use times to be around lunch time. In addition, the developer is working with PennDOT to offer a one-way circulation pattern into and out of the car wash. Supervisor John Palmer said this was “long overdue” and that the site “was an eyesore.”
Regarding public safety, a failing culvert on Rice Drive will be removed and replaced. The board approved a proposal from Jones Engineering Associates for engineering services related to the design of a concrete structure spanning the portion of Martins Creek that passes under Rice Drive at Annamarie Drive. Jones expects the project to go out to bid in spring, with construction beginning in June or July when the stream is at its lightest. During the estimated three months of construction, the road will be closed and traffic will be detoured.
The board also approved a resolution authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between Falls Township and Lower Makefield Township, which will allow the contractor selected to undertake Falls’ 2021 road program to pave the entirety of Elbow Lane and Walnut Lane, each of which lies partially in the respective municipalities. Lower Makefield will reimburse Falls for fees incurred repaving the Lower Makefield portion of the road.
Finally, in an effort to reduce the number of stolen goods (especially metals) being resold at salvage yards and pawn shops, the board introduced an ordinance to amend part of an existing regulation related to pawn brokers and dealers in precious metals and secondhand goods. According to Dence, regulations to require every pawn shop to hold items for several days began in Burlington, New Jersey a few years ago.
“If your stuff was stolen, you’d have a chance to get it back,” he said.
The ordinance, which will be considered for adoption at a subsequent meeting, updates the definition of a precious metal dealer, according to attorney Lauren Gallagher. The proposed ordinance also expands the definition of precious metal to include various types, such as rhodium, ruthenium and alloys.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
