By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Organizers need $8 million to buy the 15 acre Mozino Tract in Drexel Hill and keep it as a public forest. Developer Greg Lingo of Rockwell Development Group has dropped his mixed use plan and is giving them the chance to buy. If the money falls short, he will go back to 56 single family homes.
Drexel Hill real estate rarely gets a clean either or, and this is one. Upper Darby Township council tabled the mixed use rezoning in August. Now the outcome for the land, and for the homes around it, comes down to a fundraising number.
Drexel Hill Real Estate if the Homes Get Built
Fifty six new single family homes would be a real addition for a town that is mostly built out. New homes in Drexel Hill are rare. Most homes here were built decades ago, so a new subdivision would give buyers something they cannot find anywhere else in town.
The price to save the land is $8 million. That works out to about $533,333 per acre, or about $142,857 for each of the 56 home sites it would replace. That is the bar the organizers have to clear, and it is a high one for a community fundraiser.
For context, the typical Drexel Hill home value is $323,604, up 2.5% over the past year, and homes go pending in about 13 days, per Zillow data through August 31, 2026. A market that steady can take on 56 new homes without much strain on prices.
New homes also tend to sell above the typical figure for the town. That gives your appraiser fresh, higher comparable sales to work with if you own nearby, which can help your value when you sell or refinance.
A forest has its own value. Open space next door is something buyers notice, and once land is preserved, it stays that way. Either result gives nearby owners more certainty than a tabled rezoning ever did.
Your neighbors who back the forest will be asked to give. Your neighbors who want new homes nearby will be watching the total. Both groups want the same thing from the next few months: a clear answer.
For the wider Delaware County real estate market, the Mozino Tract is a small parcel with a big lesson. Large open parcels this close to Philadelphia do not come up often, and each one that does turns into the same choice between new homes and green space.
If You Own in Drexel Hill
Start with the calendar. The organizers need time to raise $8 million, and the developer has said what happens if they cannot. Until one of those two things is final, nothing gets built and nothing gets preserved. Watch Upper Darby Township council agendas and the organizers’ updates, because either one will tell you first. If you plan to list in the spring, that question may still be open when your buyers start asking.
If you live near the tract, either outcome is clearer than what you had in August. A forest keeps the open space next door. Fifty six homes means construction for a while, then new neighbors and new comparable sales that can help support your value.
If you are selling soon, you do not need to wait for the answer. Buyers will ask, and a short, factual reply works better than a guess. Tell them what is known: a fundraising effort, a fallback plan for 56 homes, and no final decision yet.
If you are buying, keep an eye on this one. New single family homes in this part of Delaware County do not come up often. Our Havertown community guide covers the neighboring market, and we will tell you when a fundraising deadline or a site plan lands. Ask us to set an alert for new construction listings in Upper Darby Township.
Thinking about buying or selling in Drexel Hill? Let’s talk.
