Solebury Buys Former Quarry Site For $2.4 Million

The drone’s-eye view of the property. Credit: Primrose Creek Watershed Association

Solebury Township is purchasing the former New Hope Crushed Stone and Lime Quarry on Phillips Mill Road.

The township will pay $2.4 million for the 166-acre property, which includes a 75-acre lake, according to a township statement. Officials expect to offset the cost with outside funding.

On Tuesday evening, the Solebury Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the purchase.

“The board has diligently pursued potential sources of funds that could significantly defray the final cost to the township,” said Baum-Baicker. “We feel confident that, in the end, the net outlay to Solebury Township will be significantly lower than this purchase price.”

The township said the purchase allows it to control the future of the site and preserve the ecology of the lake, surrounding land, and the restored Primrose Creek environment.

A structure on the property could be used as a storage facility for the Solebury Township Public Works Department, saving the township an estimated $350,000, according to officials.

The sign for the New Hope Crushed Stone and Lime Quarry in January 2025. Credit: Tom Sofield/NewHopeFreePress.com

The sale will be finalized after environmental testing to the township’s satisfaction following a 45-day review period, Baum-Baicker said.

Baum-Baicker said the supervisors considered the purchase for some time and held several executive sessions to discuss the acquisition and price.

Supervisor Kevin Morrissey, who along with Supervisor John Francis has long been involved with the Primrose Creek Watershed Association, called the purchase a “rare opportunity” with “historical significance” for the township and surrounding community. He noted the water-filled quarry pit is no longer connected to Primrose Creek and has become a lake.

“I think this is a rare opportunity, a rare moment, that will have an historical significance for Solebury Township and the surrounding community,” said Morrissey.

The New Hope Crushed Stone and Lime Quarry on Phillips Mill Road was ordered by the state to close in 2019 after years of problems and neighbor complaints. The quarry owner removed the crushing plant and other structures from the property.

Before its time as a limestone quarry, the land was a watercress farm that sold its products in Philadelphia and New York City.

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