The owner of The Corners at Newtown Place business center at South Sycamore Street, Richboro Road, and Cambridge Lane is advancing plans to transform the site into a new residential development.
BET Investments recently presented an updated plan to the Newtown Township Planning Commission for a parking-core apartment building.
The latest iteration of the proposal features 100 apartments, a reduction from the initial 160 units shown last year and the 120 units presented in the winter.
BET Investments is seeking to create a new use within the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance instead of seeking the required zoning variances for apartments. The new use would allow the redevelopment of the site from The Corners at Newtown Place business center to the Newtown Place residential development.
The planners voted 5-4 in June to recommend a draft text amendment for a Parking Core Apartment Building that aligns with the proposed plan.
The draft will now be reviewed by the Newtown Area Zoning Jointure, which is made up of Newtown Township, Upper Makefield Township, and Wrightstown Township.
Currently, garden apartments are permitted on the site, but the permitted uses do not exactly align with the developer’s plans.
Credit: Chris English/NewtownPANow.com
Planning Commission Chairperson Peggy Driscoll noted that Wrightstown Township has already expressed opposition to the text amendment.
The proposed Newtown Place residential development seeks to redevelop the 3.9-acre site while retaining the existing shopping center.
The plan includes a three-story, wood-framed apartment building with a precast parking garage at the center, an amenity center, a courtyard, and the preservation of an existing historical house along Sycamore Street.
BET Investments presented its traffic studies for the proposed development at the June planning meeting. The developer said their review indicated minimal impact on surrounding roads.
Driscoll noted that the developer did not include data on the approved Steeple View project down the street in Newtown Borough and how it would impact Newtown Place.
Terry Christensen, a member of the Newtown Township Planning Commission, addressed the supervisors in June and expressed concerns over the traffic study methodology. He argued that the study was incomplete and did not account for the Steeple View development and used flawed density figures.
Christensen said the BET Investment team has been collaborative, but he believes a more comprehensive traffic study needs to be completed.
Supervisors Chairperson Dennis Fisher commented that the proposal has “a ways to go” before it is considered.
