By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Bensalem Township Council approved a tax break on October 26 for a manufacturer that plans to move its headquarters into a vacant building at 4626 Somerton Road in Trevose. Our view: this is a fair trade for Bensalem homeowners, because only the new value gets a break.
The Bensalem tax abatement is a LERTA, short for Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance. The company has not been named. The office of State Sen. Frank Farry describes it as a fourth-generation, family-owned manufacturer that will renovate the 320,000 square foot building on 19.5 acres. The announcement cites 250 manufacturing jobs, and Council President Ed Tokmajian Jr. put the count at close to 300. Officials said the company looked at sites in other states before choosing Bensalem.
The investment figure depends on who you ask. Early news reports put it at $50 million. Sen. Farry said total spending on the purchase, construction and equipment will likely be at least $150 million.
Jeff Darwak, executive director of the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority, presented the site to council and said that in his view it meets the LERTA criteria. The building has sat empty since a planned move by a Philadelphia business fell through.
How the Bensalem Tax Abatement Works
Pennsylvania created LERTA in 1977 so towns could bring empty or worn-out property back into use. A LERTA does not erase the tax bill. It lets the company skip taxes on the added value its improvements create, for up to 10 years. The land and the existing building stay on the rolls at the current assessment, so the township, the county and the school district keep collecting what they collect now.
For you as a homeowner, the break covers value that does not exist yet. The property keeps paying on what it is worth today, so the deal itself does not move tax onto your house. Your future bill still depends on school, township and county budgets, and this project will not settle those on its own. Once the abatement period ends, the improved value is fully taxable.
The deal is not finished. Township Solicitor Joseph Pizzo told council that the Bensalem Township School District and Bucks County must each adopt their own resolution. If either one says no, its share of the break does not apply, which could put the project at risk. School tax is the largest part of your bill, so the school board vote is the one to watch.
Bensalem homes sold for a median of $427,000 from May through October 2026, per Bright MLS data in our Bensalem market report. They went under contract in a median of 10 days and sold for 99.6% of list price on average.
Our read: a few hundred steady jobs near Somerton Road and Street Road add buyers who want a short drive to work. That will not move prices on its own. It does support demand for the twins, townhomes and single homes that make up most of the township.
If You Own in Trevose or Bensalem
If you are selling in the next year, the plant will not show up in your price yet. Renovation and hiring take time, so price off today’s closed sales, not future headlines. If you are buying, a large employer moving in tends to support resale value over the long run, which is worth weighing when you compare Bensalem with towns farther out. If your street is close to Somerton Road, watch for the site plans and ask the township how truck traffic will be routed.
The Bensalem tax abatement still needs two more votes before anything is final. Until the school board and the county act, treat the jobs as likely, not certain. We will update this post when those votes happen.
You can compare Bensalem with the rest of the county in our Bucks County housing market report.
Thinking about buying or selling in Bensalem? Let’s talk.
