An abandoned neighborhood that used to be a home to the staff at the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster and the Willow Grove Joint Naval-Air Station is about to get a new owner, writes Natalya Bucuy for Montgomery News.

During its February 2 meeting, the Warminster Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to start the process of purchasing the Shenandoah Woods tract as part of its open space preservation efforts.

The land, still owned by the Navy, is close to the intersection of Bristol and Jacksonville roads. The 199 homes that occupy the property have been declared uninhabitable after the removal of their plumbing.

Warminster Township, the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority, and the Bucks County Planning Commission have been in talks about redeveloping the land for the last several years.

Previous plans have varied from a new housing development, to a storm water retention facility, and now for open space preservation.

However, there are still challenges ahead as the Environmental Protection Agency has deemed the property’s drinking water contaminated. The cost of cleaning this will be on the township once it purchases the land, along with demolishing the existing homes.

Read more about the planned purchase at Montgomery News by clicking here.