Hempfield supervisors approve plan for 118 new homes near Fort Allen

The master plan for a new housing development near Fort Allen has been approved by Hempfield supervisors.

Silvis Fields will have 118 single-­family homes on about 60 acres, said Matthew Pernelli, planning manager. The development will be constructed in three phases, and each phase will have to get the supervisors’ approval.

“We look forward to the subsequent phases,” Pernelli said.

The homes will be built in the area of Baltzer Meyer Pike and Swede Hill Road near property once used by the Silvis dairy farm. There is a large expanse of open farmland in that area, close to Fort Allen Elementary School, bordered by several residential developments.

The Feb. 24 master plan approval is contingent upon the completion of several other reviews, including by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County and the township engineer and fire chief.

Silvis Fields is part of an expected housing boom in Hempfield.

Township officials have said an estimated 300 to 400 homes will be built in the coming years as several residential development projects are in various stages of construction or approval. The township last saw a similar boom in the early 2000s.

The population in Hempfield has hovered around 41,000 since 2000, according to census data. That year, there were 16,750 housing units, a number that increased by about 1,700 by 2020.

Developments are under construction at Grandview Estates off Swede Hill Road and on the former Cherry Creek and Valley Green golf courses. One on Houp Lane, named The Reserve at Foxfield, was approved in October.