Parking & Traffic in the Village at Newtown

The Village at Newtown "Shopping" Center is currently in the final phase of a 35 million dollar makeover that Brixmor Property Group - the owner - hopes will revitalize the center. The plan is shown above.

Yes, parking and traffic in the Center has been a mess for some time. Will things improve once construction is complete or will parking and traffic remain problems after all is said and done?

I don’t know if there is a DEFINITIVE answer to that question, but I do believe there are signs that all will be well in the Center eventually.

At least that seems to be the opinion of Allen Fidler, Chair of the Newtown Planning Commission Definition although he acknowledges that not everyone will be happy in the end.

In response to a resident’s comments at the May 8, 2019, Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Mr. Fidler recounted the history of this project and explained the ultimate goal of Brixmor, the company that owns and manages the Center. Listen to this podcast:

Meanwhile, the renovation in the McCaffery's Food Market section of the Village at Newtown "Shopping" Center is essentially complete. On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, around 1:30 PM I drove through the area entering where the new Bank of America building and Starbuck's are located. There was no traffic problem and parking was plentiful. View the video:

Section #1 (Bank of America and a small office building; see plan above) will be completely redeveloped. Pre-existing buildings have already be removed and new shops will be built closer to Durham Road. Many of these have already been approved by the BOS. This is the primary location for an estimated additional 58,000 square feet of retail space (they will also be new space added to section #3.

History of Parking Variances

The Newtown Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB Definition) approved the parking plan on October 16, 2016. In attendance and voting for the plan were: Chairman Timothy Potero, Vice Chairman Michael Iapalucci, Secretary Robert Whartenby and members Shawn Ward and Brandon Wind. According to the minutes of the Omeeting: "There had been relief in 1991 for parking ratio. The existing variance [as of October 2016] is 5.5 spaces. The applicant is seeking 4.7 spaces per 1000 square feet of retail [which was approved by the ZHB]." Before the renovation there were 1007 spaces and the new plan shows 1065 spaces. 

At the ZHB meeting, the architect on the project said he has "spent a lot of time observing the center and noting customers’ behavior. Many customers come in and park, walk directly to the shop they are going to and go back and move the car rather than walk to their next stop, even within the same section. The proposed changes to the pedestrian accesses will encourage shoppers to walk from one destination to another." This is the "walkability" concept that has often been discussed at recent BOS meetings. For more about that, view the video below:

Dan Disario, traffic engineer for Brixmor, testified that there has been a "decrease in peak demand for shopping center parking in recent years and that standard need is 3 spaces per 1000 square feet. For this shopping center, extensive studies and counts have been conducted during lunch and dinner hours on Fridays and Saturdays in May, September, and November of 2015 and in September of 2016. Over 56 hours of counts have been conducted at fifteen minute intervals. The peak for the entire center, all four sections, was on Saturday, September 21 at 1:45 PM, when 458 vehicles occupied the 1007 parking spaces for only fifteen minutes. There have been a number of comments about difficulty with parking in lot #4 on weekend evenings. On Friday, September 2 at 5:54 PM the highest demand was 3.5 vehicles per 1000 square feet. Mr. Disario said that all calculations have considered the current unoccupied space and the projected numbers for full occupancy."

The goal for this redevelopment is a mix of retail and restaurant uses that complement each other. Shoppers window shop then stop to eat. No tables are available right now at your restaurant? Then sit outside in the amphitheatre for a few minutes or explore the other stores in the mall and come back 30 minutes later.

“An emphasis on fine dining and events is also helping to make malls the hub of the local community – a place to share quality time with friends and family… It is critical that malls be about much more than stores.” Source: “The Future of the Shopping Mall”; https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-future-of-the-shopping-mall [accessed June 6, 2019]

It is essential to his business success of Brixmor that it correctly planned for adequate parking. If there is inadequate parking the businesses will suffer. 

Posted on 06 Jun 2019, 13:27 - Category: Development

Arcadia Green PRD Three Peat: Denied Again!

For the third time in as many years, the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS Definition) voted unanimously to deny approval of a tentative Arcadia Green Planned Residential Development (PRD Definition) project!

The vote was made at the November 14, 2018, BOS meeting. For background, read summaries of minutes of previous BOS meetings, “Newtown Crossing vs Arcadia: Residents Speak Out” and “Arcadia Green Development Hearings”.

Here's what I had to say: “After listening to all the testimony, reading the reports of experts, and listening to residents of surrounding communities, I will vote to deny the current Arcadia PRD because I think it would be unsafe for residents of that development – should it go forward – to exit and enter the development. Also, let’s not forget the additional traffic it would bring to the intersection of Buck Road and the Bypass. Lastly, the plan for a U-turn to allow access to the Bypass is totally impractical, unsafe, and will cause major delays in my opinion, which seems to also be the opinion of PennDOT and other experts.”

Having sat through several hearings regarding this PRD, I am happy that I will never need sit through such hearings again. This assumes that Wrightstown and Upper Makefield have followed Newtown’s lead and approved the amendment of the JMZO to remove PRD as a permitted use. For more about that, read “Newtown Votes to Delete Planned Residential Development (PRD) from JMZO”.

Posted on 15 Nov 2018, 13:31 - Category: Development

Toll Brothers Twining Bridge Road Proposal

The following is a presentation of a "sketch plan" made before the Newtown Board of Supervisors on September 17, 2018. The plan was presented by by Toll Brothers representative Greg Adelman.

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The following is an audio recording of comments, questions, and concerns expressed by members of the public following the presentation.

Posted on 20 Sep 2018, 15:17 - Category: Development

Newtown Township, Upper Makefield, and Wrightstown to Consider Deleting Planned Residential Development from the Newtown Area JMZO

Newtown Township, Wrightstown, and Upper Makefield, will hold public hearings on September 12, 17, and 18, 2018, respectively, to consider an ordinance (here) to amend the Newtown Area Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance (JMZO) by deleting Planned Residential Development (PRD) as a permitted use. After the hearings, the Supervisors of each township will consider the enactment of the ordinance.

According to the PA Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), PRDs are designed to encourage innovation and variety in development, provide better opportunities for housing, recreation, and open space, and better relate development design to the particular site.

According to a November 2, 2017, email from the Bucks County Plannning Commission to the Newtown, Upper Makefield, Wrightstown Joint Zoning Council (JZC), which oversees the JMZO:

The JZC believes that Use B-15 Planned Residential Development is redundant because Use B-14 Performance Subdivision permits a mixed residential development with the same range of dwelling unit types at compatible densities. Additionally, a Performance Subdivision proposal goes through the standard Preliminary Plan process instead of the PRD Tentative Plan procedure that is proscribed in the MPC.

The PRD Tentative Plan procedure involves these steps:

1. Landowner or agent shall file application, upon payment of a reasonable fee, containing detailed information …
2. Within 60 days of filing, the governing body, or planning agency if so designated, shall hold a public hearing pursuant to public notice and may continue the hearing or refer the plan to the planning agency for a period no longer than 60 days after first hearing
3. Within sooner of 60 days after conclusion of public hearing or 180 days after filing, the governing body, or planning agency if so designated, shall in writing approve, approve with conditions, or deny PRD plan and provide findings of fact; failure to act timely results in deemed approval
4. Final approval of a PRD plan: If final plan complies with tentative approval, no public hearing shall be required and approval shall be granted

Newtown Township currently has 21 PRDs that are already approved. Currently, the Township is in the midst of the third Arcadia Green Tentative PRD application in 3 years (read “Developer Presents Third Plan for Arcadia Green Development in Newtown Township”) and has convened two public hearing meetings before the Board of Supervisors (BOS) regarding that application. The hearing has been continued to Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 5:30 PM.

The first two Arcadia PRD applications were denied by the BOS.

As reported in the August 12, 2018, edition of the Bucks County Courier Times (here), Arcadia attorney John VanLuvanee said “Arcadia is prepared to appeal a third denial of the project to county court, as it has with the previous two plans, in cases that both are still pending.”

In an August 1, 2018, letter to Vicki Kushto, counsel to the JZC, Newtown Solicitor Dave Sander indicated that Newtown Township “strongly supports this ordinance [to eliminate PRD] and would like to see it expedited toward enactment.” This was the consensus of the BOS expressed at the June 18, 2018, Work Session.

Posted on 27 Aug 2018, 12:50 - Category: Development

Tree Replacement Plan for the Village of Newtown Shopping Center Along Durham Road

At the August 13, 2018, Newtown Board of Supervisors Work Session, the Board discussed the recent removal of many trees in the Village at Newtown shopping center along Durham Road as part of the Brixmor renovation project (see here). Many residents, having seen the trees suddenly disappear along Durham Road, expressed concern via social media (see here).

Township Manager, Micah Lewis noted that many trees that were removed were deformed by PECO pruning and/or diseased or in a poor state due to age. Some were also removed to make way for sidewalks.

But what are the plans for new trees along Durham Road?

Although the shopping center is private property and the owners have the freedom to landscape as they see fit, Newtown does have a Subdivision Land Development code that, among other requirements, specifies the quantity and maximum height of trees along Township streets such as Durham Road.

Section 22-530 of that code (here) specifies that "Street trees generally shall be at intervals not to exceed 25 feet along the street right-of-way as part of a residential or non-residential subdivision or land development, with trees alternating from side to side fifty-foot maximum spacing on any one side), or as otherwise specified by the Planning Commission.” It also says “Trees shall not at maturity obstruct overhead utilities.”

Thus, on Durham Road alongside the shopping center, the code calls for 25 trees. The Brixmor landscape plan complies with this requirement.

On the west side of South Eagle Road, the landscaping plan for Durham Road calls for 5 Dura Heat River Birch Trees (10-12 feet tall). The following image shows the location of these trees plus a few of the shrubs that are included in the landscaping buffer between the road and the shopping center.

Under the utility wires between South Eagle and Ice Cream Alley, the plan calls for 20 Common Crape myrtle small trees (8-10 feet tall) along Durham Road. The image to the left shows what a Crape myrtle tree looks like.

The landscaping plan also calls for many more trees and shrubs to be planted along the privately-owned streets in the shopping center. These include South Eagle Road – where the drive-thru Starbucks will be located – Ice Cream Alley, Silo Drive, and West Road. The Township code does not apply to these roads. Altogether, the plan calls for 103 trees along these roads (including Durham Road) plus 165 parking lot trees.

Residents are welcome to view the plans at the Town Center and meet with Mr. Lewis who assures me that his door is always open.

Posted on 16 Aug 2018, 14:10 - Category: Development