A developer's plan to build an entire town a mile from Lancaster County has been delayed, but the project is still moving forward. If it eventually is built, New Morgan Borough's population could balloon from 14 people to 20,000 or more.

Arcadia Land Company of Wayne wants to build thousands of homes on 2,582 acres just north of the Morgantown interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Berks County.

"Bryn Eyre" would straddle state Route 10 and would be between Interstate Highway 176 and state Route 82.

The expected start of the project's Phase 1 construction of 450 homes has been delayed from next year to 2009, according to Carolyn Williams, manager of New Morgan Borough.

"I expect final approval to come within the next year," she said.

The construction timeline for the project has been delayed because the work to gain all the necessary approvals for the "unique" project will take longer than previously anticipated, Williams said.

Also, the developer is not rushing things in today's depressed housing market, she said.

The project site is one mile from eastern Lancaster County's Caernarvon Township.

Caernarvon officials have warned that Bryn Eyre could worsen traffic, exacerbate flooding of the Conestoga River, and threaten their residents' rural way of life.

Bryn Eyre LP owns the entire site for the proposed community.

Controlling partners are W. Joseph Duckworth of Arcadia; Peter M. Carlino, chairman of Carlino Development Group and CEO of Penn National Gaming, Inc.; and Stephen J. Najarian, director of Carlino Development Group.

Duckworth did not return phone calls this week for comment.

The development's single-family homes, townhouses, apartments and condominiums are expected to be built over 20 to 25 years.

Duckworth in March said plans included 12,393 homes and more than 5 million square feet of space for businesses, including a 255-unit hotel. Also, four public schools, five churches, six community centers and more than 800 acres of open space.

More recent reports in the Reading Eagle newspaper have estimated at least 6,000 residences and perhaps as many commercial units.

New Morgan rezoned the residential and industrial site to "planned community" in September 2006, and officials approved a conditional preliminary plan for Bryn Eyre.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this summer determined that the project site is not a bog turtle habitat, so Arcadia passed that hurdle.

Arcadia still needs final land-development approval from the borough and a variety of state approvals for Bryn Eyre.

The Department of Environmental Protection is considering the sewage plan for the project, Williams said.

Duckworth has said Arcadia is working with engineers to evaluate and clean up a 600-acre brownfield in the southeastern portion of Bryn Eyre.

Bethlehem Steel mined iron ore from its Grace Mine there for 25 years before closing it in 1977.

Bryn Eyre LP applied for a permit from PennDOT for a high-volume driveway along Route 10.

Ron Young of PennDOT's District 5 said PennDOT sent a letter back to the developer Nov. 5 detailing more than 70 things that have to be addressed before PennDOT would issue the permit.

"They are things like intersection improvements, stormwater management and other roadway improvements," Young said.

Williams said New Morgan Borough's population includes eight adults and six children.

Three work for the borough, including Williams. Three others serve as members of both the borough council and planning commission.

New Morgan currently does not have a mayor.

"We have a couple of houses being refurbished," Williams said. "Hopefully one of the residents who move into them will want to be mayor."

She said the borough staff will grow along with the Bryn Eyre project. In the meantime, outside contractors are helping with the huge workload required to basically "build a town from scratch."

Council has approved a preliminary budget of $2.59 million for 2008. The town's revenues next year will be dominated by $1.8 million in host fees that will be paid by the 454-acre Conestoga Landfill.

Raymond Carr, a developer, filed to incorporate the borough in 1987 by combining land he owned in two townships.

Nine of the 10 residents who lived on his land voted in 1988 to form the borough.

One of the townships that lost land to the new borough fought the move, but the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the case.

With other secessions in the works at the time, Gov. Robert Casey in 1992 signed a bill into law that prohibits the creation of boroughs with fewer than 500 residents.

Carr's plans to build a Victorian village, golf course, hotel and other amenities never materialized, but the new land owners' plans seem to be moving forward.

Williams said she hopes to buy one of the 450 homes planned for Phase 1 of Bryn Eyre, and she's not alone.

"We've gotten a lot of positive feedback. Some people have been in constant contact with us," she said. "They want to buy."

CONTACT US: rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032