A 695-Home Development Is Back in New Hanover Township. Here’s What It Means for Western Montgomery County
By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
After two decades of starts and stops, a federal lawsuit, and a developer’s fight that reached the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the New Hanover Town Center project is back. RP Wynstone LP has submitted a revised application for 695 residences and 315,000 square feet of commercial space, including a hotel, on 204 acres near Swamp Pike and Route 663
The planning commission reviews it Wednesday, May 13.
What’s Being Proposed in New Hanover Township
The new plan is one of the largest residential development proposals in western Montgomery County in years. 695 homes across various types. 315,000 square feet of commercial. A hotel. All on 204 acres near the intersection of Swamp Pike and Route 663.
The project has a long history. The original submission dates to 2005. A separate but similar 2021 plan is currently on hold until September. A federal lawsuit alleging racially motivated obstruction by the township was dismissed in February by Judge Joel H. Slomsky, who ruled all claims exceeded the statute of limitations.
This time, the plan moves through standard planning commission review. There will be public meetings. There will be debate. But the project is now officially back in motion.
Why This Matters for Montgomery County
Pennsylvania has a housing supply problem. The state ranks 44th nationally in new construction, adding just 3.4% to its housing stock between 2017 and 2023. New large-scale projects like New Hanover Town Center are rare and slow to approve, but they are the kind of supply that actually moves the needle on the long-term housing math.
If approved and built, 695 new homes in New Hanover would draw buyers from across western Montgomery County, eastern Berks, and northern Chester. That has ripple effects on resale values in surrounding municipalities like Pottstown, Boyertown, Limerick, and Gilbertsville.
The commercial component matters too. 315,000 square feet of new commercial near Swamp Pike and Route 663 supports local jobs and shapes the broader retail and dining picture for that corridor.
What This Means for You
If you live in New Hanover Township or surrounding municipalities, attend the May 13 planning commission meeting if you can. Read the plan. Big projects like this generate strong opinions, and the community input window is real.
If you are a homeowner in western Montgomery County, watch this story. New supply at this scale changes the local picture over a 5- to 10-year window. That is not a price drop story for current owners. Pennsylvania is too short on housing for one project to move county-wide values. But buyer behavior in surrounding municipalities will shift.
If you are a buyer, do not wait for New Hanover Town Center to be built before making your move. The planning, approval, and construction timeline for a project of this size runs years. The market today is what you are buying into. Bucks County’s median price is at $510,000 with 24 days on market. Conshohocken just hit a $551,000 median in April. The market is moving with or without 695 new homes in New Hanover.
Thinking about buying or selling in Montgomery County? Let’s talk.
