Vote Set on Zoning Changes To Oscar Hammerstein Property in Bucks County

By Jim Melwert

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Doylestown Township's zoning board will announce a final decision this evening that will likely determine the fate of the farm where Oscar Hammerstein II wrote musical classics such as "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma," and "The King and I."

After five hearings and more than a dozen hours of testimony, the Doylestown Township Zoning Hearings Board will take a vote on whether or not to grant variances to Highland Farm.

The property is currently a bed-and-breakfast, but Will Hammerstein, grandson of Oscar Hammerstein, is now heading up a nonprofit group that is hoping to buy the property and turn it into a museum honoring the late lyricist and theatrical producer.

But, says Will Hammerstein, the only way his project is financially feasible is if they are allowed to turn the barn into a 400-seat theatre.  Otherwise, he says, the property would be subdivided for four homes.

But neighbors have expressed concerns over increased traffic in the rural area.

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