Newtown Borough Council will hold a special meeting on conditional use for parking for the next phase of the Steeple View development.
At the Tuesday evening Newtown Borough Council meeting, council voted to continue the conditional use hearing to a special meeting on Wednesday, September 20 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at Newtown Borough Hall.
The second phase of the Steeple View development project is seeking conditional use from the borough to share parking with the development and the nearby Stocking Works complex, both operated, at least in part, by developer Allan Smith.
Smith and his team have told officials the shared parking proposal will provide enough parking for the development.
Newtown Borough Planning Commission Chairperson Mark Craig told council the commission voted against conditional use for the shared parking. However, he noted that the commission has always supported the development.
Last month, Ben Guthrie, Traffic Planning and Design’s project manager for Steeple View, told council that traffic and parking assessments for the development are complete. He assured the council that the forthcoming Stocking Works complex would provide sufficient parking for both the project’s second phase and any excess needs.
Earlier designs for Steeple View featured a parking garage designed to hold 500 vehicles, but that element was eliminated over the last ten years as plans evolved.
The omission of the proposed parking structure has posed challenges for the developer in meeting borough parking standards.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
The first phase of the complex on South State Street has been completed, with the next phase in the works. Land development proposals are anticipated to reach the council in the upcoming months.
For the project’s second phase, the first building will be three stories tall, housing retail businesses on the ground level and a combined 12 units on its upper floors. Originally, this building was designated entirely for retail.
The next structure will house ground-floor retail spaces and a combined 14 residential units across its upper two levels.
The third building will accommodate a ground-level restaurant and 14 residential units on the upper floors.
Four more buildings, each comprising 12 residences, are slated for construction. Past plans had these holding 16 units apiece, but the plans have been updated more recently.
Smith also expects to construct a plaza and green space, along with a bridge over Newtown Creek. However, this bridge’s construction could face delays given its projected cost of $300,000 to $400,000.
Steeple View’s intention is to rejuvenate the former Stockburger dealership.
