At its first public meeting on Oct. 21, the new Lake Solebury Advisory Committee received a gift. John Winterbottom, a painter who lives next to the old quarry, donated an oil on board called "Lake Solebury From My Studio." It shows the water as he sees it from his studio in winter. He was a founding member of the Primrose Creek Watershed Association. The township's newsletter places his painting in the line of artists who worked directly from nature, as the New Hope impressionists did at the Phillips Mill colony just down the road.
For now, a painting is one of the few ways most people in Solebury will see that lake. The 166-acre property at 6970 Phillips Mill Road is closed. The township has marked its trees with purple paint, which the township's Lake Solebury page explains means "No Trespassing." The township's capital plan puts preliminary designs for recreation in 2028, with final design and permitting in 2029 and 2030. That makes the next year and a half the period when residents' ideas can still change what gets drawn.
A lake that started as a reclamation order
The water inside the old pit was a regulator's requirement before it became a township asset. A January 2016 order from the state Department of Environmental Protection required the quarry to be reclaimed as a lake fed by Primrose Creek, according to reporting in the Bucks County Courier Times. The New Hope Crushed Stone and Lime Quarry closed in 2019 after years of neighbor complaints and state mitigation efforts. The New Hope Free Press reported that the township had been focused on the property since then.
The township completed its purchase in spring 2025. The lake covers 75 of the 166 acres. The table below sets the land's appraised value against what the township reports it paid.
| Line in the deal | Amount |
|---|---|
| Appraised value | $3.66 million |
| Solebury School contribution | $1,654,429.59 |
| DCNR acquisition grant, early 2026 | $800,000 |
| Township's stated net acquisition cost | Less than $500,000 |
Solebury School's share came with terms. In exchange, the school receives non-exclusive access to potential hiking trails and eventual access to the lake for water sports. So one future use is already written into the purchase, before any master plan exists. Mark Baum Baicker, chair of the Board of Supervisors, called the property "a jewel in Solebury Township's park system for generations to come," as quoted by the New Hope Free Press.
The first users arrived before the public
The township's status list for Lake Solebury, dated March 25, 2026, describes a site already being prepared for a set of professional users.
- Bucks County Diving Unit. The Board of Supervisors signed a use agreement that lets the unit train on the property.
- Central Bucks EMS. Under an agreement with the township, CBEMS began interior improvements in the maintenance building, with plans to be stationed on the property in spring 2026.
- Local fire departments. The township has been discussing training use and a dry hydrant installation with the fire companies that serve Solebury.
The same list covers the less visible work. Public Works put up warning and boundary signs. Motion-controlled lighting and security cameras were going in. Power was restored to the roadside structures. Every structure was evaluated for lead, asbestos and mold. The township obtained tax-exempt status for the property and negotiated with DEP to extinguish a $211,000 lien. DEP approved an environmental remediation plan, which was awaiting funding at an estimated $40,000 to $50,000. The property's existing scales were auctioned and sold.
Work at the entrance continued into the fall. Public Works reported in September that crews were bringing power to the spot where a new gate would go at the main entrance. The department's October 2 report said it was working with contractors to install the new front gate.
For residents, the closest thing to a visit is the township's livestream of Lake Solebury, linked from the township's Lake Solebury page.
The calendar the township has published
The township says full development of the property, including remediation, evaluation and a community-driven master plan, is expected to take several years. The published milestones fall in this order:
- Spring 2025. The township completes the purchase.
- Early 2026. DCNR awards an $800,000 acquisition grant.
- March 2026. The Board of Supervisors creates the Lake Solebury Advisory Committee.
- Spring 2026. The township applies for a state Community Conservation Partnership Programs grant and a Greenway, Trails and Recreation Program grant toward a master plan, estimated at $150,000.
- Oct. 7, 2026. DCNR's grant list includes $125,000 for Solebury Township to prepare a Master Site Development Plan for the 166-acre site along Primrose Creek, including a written report and a site development drawing.
- Oct. 21, 2026. The committee holds its first public meeting.
- 2028. Preliminary designs for recreational improvements.
- 2029 to 2030. Final design and permitting. Construction will need funding beyond what is in the plan.
The $125,000 award matters most for the near term. It pays for the drawing that will come out of the committee's work, and designers will take that drawing into 2028.
Where the drawing gets shaped
The committee's assignment is to develop a master plan for Lake Solebury over 12 to 18 months. The township's Fall 2026 Solebury Messenger describes the agenda it has adopted as "aggressive." The committee draws from several township bodies:
- Representatives of the Environmental Advisory Council, the Parks & Recreation Board and the Planning Commission
- Six at-large members from the community
- Three non-voting student representatives from New Hope-Solebury High School and Solebury School
- Three non-voting associate members
Meetings are public. They are held at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month in the Township Building at 3092 Sugan Road. The next one is Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. The October meeting notice offered both in-person and Zoom attendance. Virtual attendees had to request the login in advance, and public comment followed a sign-up procedure with a three-minute limit per speaker. Agendas, minutes and recordings are posted on the committee's page.
You don't have to attend to take part. The township accepts comments at any time by email at [email protected], or during public comment at Board of Supervisors meetings. Questions and ideas for the committee itself go to Kate Robeson-Grubb, the township's sustainability specialist, at [email protected].
Lake Solebury sits at the start of the township's park pipeline
The township's other park projects show what comes after a plan. At Aquetong Spring Park, the Bond House is being rehabilitated for adaptive reuse, with public bathrooms and event space. A $350,000 Local Share Account grant was awarded in 2025, and a 2026 state grant covers the rest of the construction. On Lower York Road, a $1,497,400 PennDOT grant is funding a 1,320-foot shared-use path and about 280 feet of boardwalk between Reeder Road and Shire Drive. This is tied to the first phase of the planned Solebury Green park, as the New Hope Free Press reported in May.
Both projects are past the drawing stage and have construction money behind them. Lake Solebury is a few steps behind, at the point where the township asks what the place should be. The Nov. 18 meeting on Sugan Road is one of the places where that question gets answered.
At Lisa Povlow, we follow how projects like Lake Solebury move from committee agendas to finished parks, and how that progress shapes the parts of Solebury nearby. If you live along Phillips Mill Road or Sugan Road and want to talk about what the plans could mean for your property, schedule a private consultation.
