After 53 years as an entertainment staple in the community, complete with miniature golf courses, a driving range, batting cages, and once was the site of a petting zoo, Freddy Hill Farms and Freddy's Family Fun Center are closing at the end of the 2025 season.
"After heartfelt consideration, we, the Seipt family, have decided to close Freddy Hill Farms and Freddy’s Family Fun Center at the end of the 2025 season. We are looking forward to retirement after decades of running rewarding and challenging businesses," said the family in a statement on their website. "It is a bittersweet reality that all good things must come to an end. Our family is deeply grateful for your support over the last 53 years, and for the opportunity to serve our community and our customers. We have enjoyed sharing this fun place with our family and friends, and we hope that you have fond memories as well. Please join us for your favorite ice cream treats and fun center activities this coming season."
Freddy Hill management and family had no comment and referred media to the statement on their website.
The Fun Center opens Saturday morning for the 2025 season.
Both businesses exist on a 94-acre parcel owned by Freddy Hill Ventures LP, according to Montgomery County land records. The parcel is zoned R-Residential Preferential Assessment.
The land is not protected farmland.
The $1.8-million assessed property was transferred to the LP from Fred L. and Joanne M. Seipt in October 2012 for $1. According to land records, the 94-acre parcel was subdivided from an original parcel in 2008.
The property had existed as a farm since the 19th Century and commercial construction began in the 1950s and throughout the early 1970s. More commercial structures were built in 1989.
According to Towamencin's December 2024 draft Comprehensive Plan Update, agricultural land uses represent 10.9%, or 673.9 acres, and are located primarily in the panhandle section of the township and at Freddy Hill Farms.
The draft Comprehensive Plan also identifies Freddy Hill Farms as a location that will call for the township to revise its Future Land Use Map to change the farm's parcels from agriculture to Residential/Open Space.
"Based on feedback from the community, Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors, key person / agency interviews, Township department interviews and conversations with residents, the 2025 Towamencin Comprehensive Plan has established recommendations informed by goal statements for the various Comprehensive Plan elements," states the draft.
The draft Plan states the following:
"Located immediately northeast of I-476 and southwest of Sumneytown Pike, the following two adjacent parcels (both with R - Preferential Assessment land use codes) contain approximately 128 acres of residential land combined and represent potential redevelopment opportunities:
• The 94.3-acre parcel at 1440 Sumneytown Pike is owned by Freddy Hill Ventures LP. The site is currently an active dairy farm with family-oriented amenities and activities such as mini-golf, a golf shop, studio, and driving range, batting cage, picnic area, dairy store, and homemade ice cream parlor.
• The adjacent 33.5-acre parcel at 1780 Kriebel Road is owned by Walton Raymond E and Pauline. The parcel also appears largely comprised of farmland and contains a single-family home.
These parcels are zoned R-175, which allows 60,000 s.f. lots for single family units (30,000 if both public water and sewer are provided). Given the parcels size and nearby access to I-476, both sites could potentially be rezoned to allow for a build-to-rent (BTR) development (defined in more detail in the residential section of this report).
The combined 128-acre site could easily support the development of up to 150 single-family homes (attached and detached) and townhomes at between six to 12 dwelling units (DUs) per acre, leaving adequate space for community amenities like walking trails, passive green spaces, a dog park, a swimming pool, and clubhouse."
The plan also states that, per planning study recommendations, "if the Freddy Hill Farm property is developed, or if it becomes open space, roadway and off-road trail connections through the property should be explored and considered. For example, the extension of Canterbury Drive to Krieble (sic) Road might be explored. Other options also exist."
Futhermore, the draft Comprehensive Plan also calls out Freddy Hill Farms under the "Conservation Zoning" heading:
The Township should explore the implementation of conservation zoning for Freddy Hill Farms to preserve its agricultural and open-space character. This approach would protect the area’s environmental assets while allowing low-impact development that aligns with the Township’s rural heritage. Preservation strategies regarding Freddy Hill Farms should be made in a mutual agreement with the current landowners.
Conservation Zoning ordinances typically allow small lot sizes and mandate (or allow) for the preservation of public open space. The property owner will typically get the same price from a developer and the developer will typically build the same number of units but with fewer roads and less infrastructure (for less cost).
For the undeveloped lands zoned R-175 which require a minimum 30,000 SF lots, lots and be reduced to a minimum of about 12,000 to 14,000 SF with a requirement of 30 to 40% open space. A companion strategy is to make the current R-175 zoning a conditional use, and make the Conservation Zoning a by-right use, as a way to incentivize open space preservation. In this way, existing zoning rights are not substantively changed while open space preservation is encouraged
According to Towamencin Township's Planning Commission meeting minutes from August 2024, consultants updated supervisors on the draft comprehensive plan. At the presentation, consultants showed the Freddy Hill Farm area and the plan for residential and preserving some of the areas.
Per the minutes, the consultant told planners that Freddy Hill encompasses about 120 acres zoned R-175 Residential District.
"They could potentially get 150 units developed if they choose but the thought process is instead of having a minimum lot area of 30,000 square feet, it could be a minimum lot area of 15,000 square feet and then the other areas can create more open space. This potentially gives the developer an incentive to keep open space," stated the minutes.
Meeting minutes said that township planning commission members "expressed concern for being careful to not end up with higher density housing in these areas than would be allowed with current zoning."
