A proposed mixed-use development with more than 500 homes, commercial space and extensive open space could replace a controversial warehouse project on a large tract along Route 10.

The Cumru Township Board of Commissioners got its first look Tuesday at a sketch plan for the approximately 170-acre property between Route 10 and Valley Stream Road.

Route 10 Realty LLC is proposing a traditional neighborhood development, or TND, with 537 residential units — 256 apartments, 175 townhouses and 106 single-family homes — and 9,270 square feet of commercial and retail space.

The proposal represents a significant change in plans for the property, where a warehouse development had been proposed. That proposal faced considerable opposition and litigation before the parties reached a stipulation allowing a traditional neighborhood development to be pursued instead.

Attorney Beth Cole of Barley Snyder, representing Route 10 Realty, stressed that the proposal is only a sketch plan intended to gather early feedback.

Engineer Michael Hartman of Schlouch Inc. said the development would encompass about 80 acres, with roughly 50 acres developed. About 114 acres of the overall tract would remain deed-restricted open space, with trails and active and passive recreation areas.

Commissioners and township officials raised questions about the preliminary concept, particularly regarding access to the development.

Fire officials said a development of 537 residential units needs a dependable second means of access and raised concerns about road widths, parking, hydrants and water supply.

The plan shows one full-access entrance from Route 10 and two emergency access points. Hartman said connecting the development to Valley Stream Road would be difficult because the terrain would require a road with a grade of about 25%.

He said the plan will evolve as engineering studies are completed and township comments are addressed. He expects to submit another sketch plan within the next several months before proceeding with a preliminary land development plan.

Data center prep

In another development-related matter, the commissioners have begun preparing for an anticipated proposal for a large data center at the former Titus Station property in the Poplar Neck area.

Township officials emphasized that no data center application has been submitted. Commissioner Gregory Miller said officials nevertheless expect a proposal could arrive in the coming months and want procedures and technical expertise in place beforehand.

“This isn’t your standard ‘I want to put a shed in my backyard’ type plan,” Miller said. “This is very large, very complex.”

The township’s proposed protocol would establish expectations for developers, township staff, the Planning Commission and engineers during the review process. Officials said data centers can require expertise in specialized areas such as acoustical engineering and energy facilities.

Following the discussion, the commissioners unanimously authorized advertising a request for proposals for an engineering consultant specializing in data centers and energy facilities.

Miller said the developer, rather than township taxpayers, would pay the cost of the specialized review.

Audit review

In other business, the commissioners learned the township’s 2025 audit received an unmodified, or clean, opinion. General Fund revenues finished $153,000 above budget and expenditures $90,000 below budget, leaving a year-end balance of about $3 million.

Auditors from Cherry Bekaert identified a material weakness involving $1.8 million in fire station bond expenditures that had not been entered into the township ledger, though the expenditures had been properly approved and paid. The auditors also discovered a $127,000 vendor overpayment caused by invoice errors. It was corrected.

The commissioners learned the township has received a $350,000 Local Share Account grant, with no local match, to begin master planning for redevelopment of the Route 222/Lancaster Pike corridor.