On Tuesday night, the Milford Township Board of Supervisors granted a conditional use and approved a land development plan for an 80-bed hospital on 30 acres along John Fries Highway (Route 663) at Portzer Road.

            With an anticipated groundbreaking in 2018, the new St. Luke's facility will include emergency and surgical services, replacing the current hospital in Quakertown.

            Prior to the vote, representatives from St Luke's Healthcare Network presented a plan to improve an emergency access between the property and the adjacent Blackledge Drive. Sixteen Blackledge residents presented a petition to the board expressing concerns over the potential impact on traffic patterns through their residential development.

            Accepting the petition, Chairman Robert Mansfield explained that the applicant is creating the access at the request of the township. The emergency access will replace an existing access that the township has determined is insufficient for fire trucks to reach homes along Blackledge Drive.

            "We recognize that this is something that is being imposed on you," Mansfield said.

            "With the clear understanding that it's never been intended for this to be a through road, I hope that you recognize the efforts that the applicant has gone through to make this palatable."

            Nate Burns, Senior Project Manager for Langan Engineering in Doylestown presented an overview of those plans for the access, which will be stabilized grass. The access will also be blocked at both ends, for use only for emergency vehicles to reach Blackledge. The access will not be used to enter the hospital area.

            Burns also noted that a berm will be created which will block construction from view for Blackledge residents and the access will be visibly indiscernible from the surrounding property.

            Milford Township Fire Chief Keith Butler indicated that the proposed access would be sufficient. With a decision pending on whether or not to include a curb cut in the design to decrease the chances of regular vehicles attempting to use the access, Chief Butler explained that the trucks could enter over the curb but might break the curbing in the process.

            Additional stipulations of these early approvals include strict traffic improvements and actions to protect natural resources and create impervious surfaces.