Latest Phase Of Steeple View Plans Nearing Vote By Council

Newtown Borough Council will be considering the latest phase for the ongoing Steeple View development in the coming two months.

Newtown Borough Council approved a motion on Tuesday evening to extend the revised preliminary and final land development review period until the end of May. Prior, the developer, Allan Smith, would have to get final land development approval by the end of this month.

Tim Duffy, the attorney representing Steeple View, said the additional time was needed after feedback from borough officials and the most recent Newtown Borough Planning Commission meeting that largely discussed parking for the proposed next phase of the project.

Duffy said a parking and traffic study and analysis are expected to be completed soon.

Smith scaled back the plans due to a changing business climate since COVID-19.

“The concept is the same,” Duffy told council in January.

The developer is seeking to build several new buildings, with retail spaces and high-end condos.

The first phase of the project along South State Street was completed in 2016, but the second phase has been slow to move forward.

The first building will be a three-story structure with retail on the first floor and a total of 12 units on the two floors above. Previously, the building was to be all retail.

The second building will have retail on the first floor and 14 residences in total on the two floors above.

The third building will have a restaurant on the first floor and 14 residences in total on the two floors above.

The fourth building has been eliminated and so has the 500-vehicle parking garage.

Four additional buildings with 12 residences each will be construction. A previous version of the plans called for 16 units each.

The second phase will have ground-level parking lots and spaces, including some reserved areas for residents. Duffy has previously said Smith feels the current parking plan will be sufficient for the development.

The piazza and green area remain in the plans for the developer. A bridge over the Newtown Creek remains planned, but construction might be delayed due to an estimated cost of $300,000 to $400,000 for the small span that will connect to Newtown Township.

The development will have three entrance driveways and one exit.

The development fills the former Stockburger dealership and former wine and spirits and beer stores, which will be demolished. Smith has said the project will define the 8.76 acres along South State Street and Centre Avenue.

The Steeple View project by Smith has long been considered a transformative development in the borough filled with older and historic structures.