Nico Farms - 9/8/23

Nico Farms at 1750 Quarry Road is a private residential property, now owned by my wife and I, local residents, residing and doing business in the Yardley-Newtown area for over 45 years. I have admired this tract of land since the early 80’s. When I saw it was listed For Sale on my way to work in May, I knew it could be our future home. We closed on the property at the end of June and have been dreaming ever since.

As a teenager I was heavily involved in Boy Scouts and love for the outdoors. My intention is to build a new home with my wife and our son, and restore this beautiful property to reflect a “grand garden” setting. Some of our plans for this transformation include:

· Plant hundreds of trees and bushes to replace much of the overgrown trees and scrub.

· Restore the old stone barn and soccer/football field.

· Safely demo the dilapidated school and nursing home building, built in the 1960’s that are dangerous from lack of maintenance.

· Restore the full size basketball court/gym building.

· Remove the parking lots and restore the contours of the land to the original grades. 

As a matter of safety, please stay off the property, as there are many hidden dangers, especially in and around the buildings. Contractors and equipment will be abundant especially during the Demo phase. You may see me on my John Deere tractor mowing the fields and bouncing over the hundreds of holes left by the old tree nursery, ha.

I will keep this site updated as events and our ideas evolve. I want to leave something behind in life that is positive adding value and beauty to the Township. It will look ugly at times as we restore and transform the space, but as the plantings grow and things take shape it will be beautiful again.

Steve

Update - 9/20/23

Demolition of the buildings started today and will continue for approximately 7 months. For your safety, please stay off the property.

Thank you for taking the time to look at our web site. We received over 5000 views in 3 days and more than 200 emails. I read each one and will respond where necessary. Hopefully this update will answer some common questions asked. It was certainly moving to hear the community rally for the future of this 90-acre property. Thank you for your kind remarks and support for this project. The Gray Nuns are pleased with our vision and plans as well. They removed a few religious items and have blessed the project. A small new Chapel, to include some of the statues, will be built to honor this property’s history.

I will attempt to answer a few common questions from the emails received:

1. School Supplies/Materials - We reached out to a few schools. Some came and took what they could use, however much had been take before I took ownership.
2. Time Capsules - I heard from two people that went to school at the Gray Nuns Academy and apparently there are some time capsules buried on the property. I will reach out to them to find these pieces of history and get to the appropriate Alumni.
3. Bike Paths - Another person asked about bike paths. I will definitely work with the Township to see how this property could possibly help connect already existing and potentially new bike paths in the area.
4. Farming - I am not a farmer but would like to work with an expert of Farming or Nursery to explore what we could do with portions of this property. Growing up in Battle Creek, MI, my Grandparents had a 2-acre Victory garden. If you’re old enough, you will know what that means! I grew up with every imaginable fruit and vegetable available to our family, including Pear, Apple and Cherry trees. I would love to recreate something like this for my own family.
5. Hunting - There will be no hunting on this private, residential property.
6. Horses or Large Animals - Other than wildlife that already call this place home, we are not expecting to keep any animals on the property (unless my 8 year old boy turns into a horse fan!) You may, most likely, see me chasing him on hisdirt bike or quad.

When the restoration is complete, I could definitely envision a community open house celebration on the property with a large tent on the football field, hay rides, music, barbecuing and some walking tours for the community to take in this beautiful space. Many have expressed that they would like to say goodbye to the good memories they had here.

Peace,

Steve