NEWTOWN BOROUGH – Developer Allan Smith will be asking
borough council on Tuesday, Nov. 18 for conditional use approval to develop the
former Stockburger automotive showroom site as a Traditional Neighborhood
Development, or TND, as part of his Steeple View redevelopment project.
Smith is proposing to transform the mostly
macadam-covered site into a mixed use development boasting retail and
residential buildings designed by renowned Princeton architect Robert Hillier.
“Plan C Revised,” attached to Smith’s conditional use
application and available for public view at borough hall, shows the existing
structures at the site, including the former showroom, giving way to four
buildings housing multi-family high-end condominiums, six mixed-use
retail/residential buildings and a four level parking garage.
The mixed use structures would front on a main entrance
boulevard ending in a circular driveway accentuated by a centerpiece fountain
and boasting views of the steeple at the nearby Olde Saint Andrews Church on
Sycamore Street, which gives the development its name.
The plan envisions about 30,000 square feet of new first
floor retail space, 36 second and third floor condominiums and 64 multi-family
residential condominiums.
Three of the buildings would wrap around the proposed
four level parking garage that would service the development and the nearby
Historic State Street business district by providing 417 parking spaces. At
least one of the buildings is earmarked for a 4,000 square foot restaurant.
Under a TND overlay zone, mixed use is permitted in the
Village Gateway district – the current zoning of the former Stockburger
property - provided that the landowner secures conditional use approval from
the borough.
Earlier this year, the borough council granted Smith
standing to apply for the conditional use approval and to present a broader
plan that depicts an extension of the development northward into the “Town
Center” commercial zone and would incorporate borough-owned property in front
of the State Store.
Under that plan, which is not subject to conditional use
approval but would require the borough to transfer ownership of its Centre
Avenue municipal parking lot, Smith would demolish an existing building housing
the State Store and Newtown Beer Store, reconfigure the site with three mixed
use office/retail buildings, a public piazza and a Greenway Walk along the
creek.
Smith envisions about 15,000 square feet of new first
floor retail space at the site and around 30,000 square feet of second and
third floor office space.
Council has not made a final decision on whether to
transfer its property, which would be accomplished via a three-party agreement
between the borough, the Heritage Conservancy and the developer.
The agreement would allow the borough to donate the land
to the Heritage Conservancy, which would then transfer it to Steeple View in
exchange for public easements for the town square (piazza) and a 1,425 foot
greenway (creek walk). The developer would be responsible for the future
maintenance of both public improvements.
The land transfer would allow Smith to move forward with
plans to demolish the State Store building, reconfigure the site with a public
square, construct three new buildings and build a new road linking Centre
Avenue with South State Street at the former Stockburger showroom site.
The three new buildings would overlook the public square,
or piazza, which Smith said could be used as a public gathering place for town
events and activities.
In addition, the plan includes the creation of a path
(walkway) along the Newtown Creek, stretching more than 1,400 feet from the
public square southward to a wetlands area at the southern terminus of the
project site.
If council decides against the land transfer, Smith has
said he would move forward with plans for just the former Stockburger property
on South State Street.
Some on council have expressed reservations with the
extension project, fearing it could be too much for the borough. Others have
been supportive, noting its potential tax revenue, additional parking in the
otherwise parking-strapped borough and its potential to enhance and bolster the
State Street business district.
During Tuesday’s public hearing, however, council members
will have to bite their tongues, so to speak.
They will be serving in almost a judicial capacity during
the hearing, according to borough solicitor William Bolla, and making decisions
based on facts, figures and zoning rules rather than their own feelings and
town politics.
They’ll have their chance to speak at a later date when
the council decides whether to approve an agreement to transfer the borough
owned property on Centre Avenue.
The conditional use hearing, expected to last about two
and a half hours, begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Chancellor Center. The public is
invited to attend.
Source: Bucks
Local News
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