LILLY — A large tract of private land once eyed by Washington Township officials for recreation likely will soon host homes – some on plots reaching 60 acres.

A group identified as ECS Partnership – with two unnamed principals from Patton and Hollidaysburg – has purchased the 350-acre-plus tract outside Lilly with plans to subdivide the property into as few as 20 residential lots.

“Most (of the sites) would be along Hilltop Road; all would have road frontage,” said Todd Holes, of the Hollidaysburg engineering firm of Stiffler & McGraw.

Holes has outlined the development plans for the Washington Township supervisors. He said he is seeking reaction from local officials before any formal proposal is made.

Preliminary plans call for eight to 10 of the lots to be large, measuring 20 to 60 acres each, Holes said.

The land is located just east of Lilly and adjacent to a recreation area being developed by the township beside a Little League field and Memorial Field, where AAABA games are played each August.

About 50 acres of the large tract had once been part of a strip mine, township Supervisor Ray Guzic said. But most is forest-land, and some is already being timbered off by the owners.

“There is some hilly and some level areas,” Guzic said. “It has a little bit of everything up there.”

The land belonged to Cresson’s Cooney Brothers Coal Co., once a mining giant in Cambria County’s Mainline area. It had been on the market since 2008.

Late last year, word surfaced that Washington Township officials were eying the land but lacked the funds to meet the nearly $450,000 purchase price.

Much of the site has been used for a number of years by Washington-Lilly residents for all-terrain vehicle riding and other activities.

Guzic laments that the township lost a potential recreation site.

“We dragged our feet too long,” he said. “It could have been a good thing.”

But local officials said they welcome the development for housing, which could provide a significant boost to the tax base.

The development would be built so that many of the homes could access the lines of the Central Mainline Sewer Authority, a fairly new system that has the capacity for additional customers.

Authority Chairman Rich Wray, who is also Washington Township’s engineer, said the system is operating at about half capacity.

Holes has also been in touch with Highland Sewer and Water Authority, which he said would be able to meet the water needs of the new homes. A portion of the system’s water lines pass near the land.

Some of the larger lots likely will require on-lot sewage systems, but perk tests to determine drainage have not been done, Holes said.

Real estate agent Roger Peacock will handle marketing of the lots. He has experience in developing large lots.

He said it hasn’t been decided if the land will be sold in developable lots or if homes will be built, then sold.

“We know the issues involved with it. We also understand the necessity of having the township’s input into it,” said Peacock, of Colony Realty Group, Hollidaysburg.

Peacock has a listing on the Internet showing maps and details of the Hilltop Road development and advertising a 15.25-acre lot for $40,000.

Washington Supervisor Jaime Hartline said the township has a subdivision ordinance in place that outlines the requirements for the developer.

Guzic said the township will work with the developer.

“We welcome the growth. Give us 30 days to look at the stuff,” he told Holes and Peacock. “Are we going to give you any trouble? No.”

Peacock said there is a market in this area for home-building lots with plenty of space, even as large as 60 acres.

“There are always individuals looking to claim their part of the land,” he said.