NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Density, building size and traffic continue to be major sticking points with a proposal to redevelop the Corners at Newtown Place at South Sycamore Street and Richboro Road with a 120-unit Parking Core Apartment Building.
The plan calls for the demolition of a series of stand alone commercial and office buildings built in the 1980s on Cambridge Lane and the construction of a three-story apartment building that would wrap around a multi-level interior parking garage.
The new apartment building, which would be marketed to young professionals and empty nesters, would extend for 300 feet along Sycamore Street and would include a vehicle access point to the interior garage.
Representatives from BET Investments, a real estate management and development company owned by Bruce Toll, attended the February planning commission meeting seeking input on architectural renderings for the building, but instead found themselves in a discussion over density and traffic.
This is one concept of how the proposed 300-foot-long Parking Core Apartment Building would look along South Sycamore Street.
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After listening to a brief presentation about the building's proposed appearance, the planners said while they have no problem with plans to build apartments at the site, what is being proposed is too much for the site in terms of density and traffic.
The planners raised concern over the project, which proposes a building that is eight times the density allowed in the R2 zoning district and a building length that is two times greater then what’s permitted in the town commercial (TC) district.
BET's President Michael Markman pointed out that they had initially come in with a four story building with 160 units. After meeting with the township, it scaled its plan back to a three story building with 120 units and a core parking garage.
“We feel the property has the size to support this without looking overburdened,” Markman told the planners. “Right now the site is full of single story buildings that are spread out and antiquated. They are very hard to lease. They are not the kind of property people want to rent today.”
Rather than seeking zoning variances for the proposed project, BET is asking the township to consider a zoning amendment that would allow the building to be built in the Town Commercial zoning district. That would require all three municipalities that are part of the zoning jointure - Newtown Township, Wrightstown and Upper Makefield - to approve.
An historic stone house on the property would remain and become a focal point from Sycamore Street. (Photo by Jeff Werner)
According to the draft ordinance submitted by BET Investments, a new use - Parking Core Apartment Building - would be added to the zoning ordinance.
A Parking Core Apartment Building, as defined by the draft ordinance, is a building where individual apartments surround a central parking garage and feature a walkable oriented streetscape in keeping with a traditional village.
Planning chair Peggy Driscoll continued to voice concerns at the meeting about the density of the project, traffic impact, the size of the proposed structure and the challenge the developer will face in securing approvals from all three townships for its ordinance.
“I’d like to see something nice there, but it’s got to work,” said Driscoll, noting that there’s no room around the site to make meaningful roadway improvements to accommodate additional traffic. Plus, just a few blocks away in the borough, she said the Steeple View project will be adding traffic to the same general area.
“160 was unreal. 120 is still too much,” said Driscoll. “I think 60 apartments would work. It can be a beautiful thing. You can build something nice. It’s just too big. It’s just too much what you want to do.”
At one point during the meeting, the commission's attorney Jerry Schenkman asked, “How married are you to the core parking concept? It sounds like if it got smaller you might not need it. You might be able to separate the one large building into several smaller ones which would be more historically accurate.”
Schenkman, who also serves on the Newtown, Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority, also noted that there are some limitations on available EDUs (Equivilent Dwelling Unit), a measurement used in allocating waste water capacity, which would be problematic for a larger development but not as challenging for a smaller scale project.
After listening to Driscoll's concerns and Schenkman's suggestions, Markman, a former planning commission member himself, said he's willing to work with the planning commission. “We’ve already reduced it once. We can certainly reduce it again. We will certainly consider it,” he said.
“We’re just trying to build something nice here,” he said. “I understand your concerns and we will definitely try to address them. We’re not trying to change the way of life or anything else.”
BET bought the property eight to nine years with plans to redevelop the land for a needed use.
“We bought this location because this is a tremendous location," said Markman. "It’s walkable to the borough. It’s walkable to shopping and great restaurants. And you have green space. You can’t beat the location.
“What we’re proposing looks a lot more like an historic district than these buildings. I got to tear this place down because it’s terrible,” he said of the existing conglomeration of one story retail and office structures.
The plan submitted by BET would include the construction of a roundabout at the Cambridge Lane entrance to the development off of Sycamore Street, the creation of a park-like setting and a walkable oriented streetscape. The plan would also preserve an existing stone structure, which would be enhanced by a landscaped garden area overlooking Sycamore Street.
One of the buildings that would be torn down to make way for the project.
The project does not include the strip center housing Jake's Eatery, Domino's Pizza, and the Citizens Bank on Richboro Road, which is also part of the Corners at Newtown Place and is owned by the developer. The project also does not include the 7-11 convenience store, which is under separate ownership.
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