Brixmor Property Group, owners of the Village at Newtown shopping center, met with township officials Monday evening to discuss their early plans for an expansion and renovation of the center’s east and west sides.
The center, according to project officials, has been faced with the challenge of adapting to its customers and retailers needs for roughly three decades. Anchored by the well-known McCaffrey’s Food Market and Pier One Imports, developers of the project hope their plans will increase usage of an under-utlized shopping center and create a unique walkability to the center, further connecting customers to shops, activities, and outdoor dining, and encouraging them to park their car in one location and stay throughout the day.
While the project will add roughly 33 parking spots to the center, it will also add numerous additional options for dining and retail spaces, leaving township officials worried that the current awkward traffic patterns of the site added with a increase in customer traffic, will pose a further danger to those who wish to travel there.
The expansion of the site will include a demolition of the Bank of America building and the dental office, and construction of three new buildings designed for retail space in their place. The plan also includes the construction of a free standing bank and cafe at Silo Drive, the installation of a Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar in place of Party Fair, a full restoration of the historic Toll House and converting it to a bakery type use, the addition of two outdoor patio spaces, a complete refacing and renovation of the center’s four shopping zones, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in sidewalks to increase the walkability not only throughout the center but along the roads leading in and out of the center as well.
According to Brixmor associates, the new look to the center will be based on other redevelopments in the area – keeping with looks that projects like Steeple View and Goodnoe Corner have added to the Newtown area.
“We plan to move forward expeditiously,” said Ryan Guheem, the Senior Vice President of Strategic Leasing and Redevelopment.
While officials from Brixmor have said they are in the very early stages of the planning and redevelopment process, they hope to have zoning relief and board approval come the end of the year. The very earliest construction wouldn’t take place until sometime in 2017.
