Storied Middletown farm to sprout houses as bulldozers move in

After decades of fighting to preserve it, bulldozers have moved on to Stone Meadows, the storied Bucks County farm, whose fertile fields along Route 413 in Middletown will soon sprout houses. Mostly.

About 70 acres of the 167-acres that made up Stone Meadows will be preserved. The bulk will become “age-restricted” housing.

Land-clearing began about a week and half ago and, before that, power lines were moved and upgraded. But it marks the end of an era for an island of agriculture amid a sea of sprawl. The farm was largely believed to be the last farm in Middletown.

The farmstead had been home to Ezra Stone, a radio actor and producer, who died in the early 1990s. That began a fight between his estate and Middletown which began in 1998.

The township, along with a contingent of residents, wanted to preserve the entire farm. Middletown even tried taking the farm through eminent domain. They went to court, battled and lost. However, a deal was made in 2022 when the Bucks County Commissioners authorized $2 million to create a 67-acre “agricultural easement” on the part of the property where Stone lived with his wife and two children.

Metropolitan Development Group, and its related builder, Fox Lane Homes, will build 164 age-restricted twin homes on the rest of the property.

From 2022After long battle, Stone Meadows Farm has been saved. What's in its future?

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.