On August 7, 2025, Jim Worthington (aka Goodnoe Homestead, LLC) – owner of the swank Newtown Athletic Club –  submitted a sketch plan for a 4-story, 73-unit garden apartment building at the historic Goodnoe Family Homestead on N. Sycamore St., Newtown. Three days later, I began a short survey to gauge local area residents’ opinions of the proposed project. To date – August 19, 2025 – 281 responses have been received!

To make a long story short, the overwhelming majority of responses (77%) are STRONGLY OPPOSED to the plan and an additional 10% are SOMEWHAT OPPOSED.

In this post, I summarize the comments of the 217 Newtown Township residents who responded to the survey.

First, let’s look at the charts:

Comments

Survey respondents were asked to provide any comments that will better explain their opinion of this plan. These comments help me and other Supervisors make better decisions. 217 comments were collected. 156 comments were made by Newtown Township residents; 35 were made by Newtown Borough residents. 

I instructed ChatGPT to summarize the 121 Township resident comments STRONGLY OPPOSING the plan into categories and here’s the result:

1. Traffic & Congestion

• Many fear Sycamore Street, Silo Drive, and surrounding roads cannot handle additional cars.
• Already “nightmare” traffic, gridlock at peak times, and pedestrian/bike safety concerns.
• Worries about accidents, unsafe intersections, and longer emergency response times.

2. Parking Deficiencies

• Strong objections to the low number of parking spaces (1.6 per unit, insufficient for residents/visitors).
• Spillover parking expected into neighboring shopping centers (McCaffrey’s, Rite Aid, Green Parrot).
• Concern that residents will own multiple cars, making the plan unrealistic.

3. Overdevelopment & Density

• Repeated themes of Newtown being “overbuilt,” “too dense,” and losing its charm.
• Opposition to increasing variances that ignore existing zoning.
• Many call this a “city-style” development inappropriate for a small town.

4. Loss of Historic & Small-Town Character

• Residents feel the project erases history tied to Goodnoe farm and silo.
• Complaints that tall, stark buildings are “out of character” and would destroy Newtown’s unique identity.
• Some argue the farmhouse preservation is superficial and doesn’t maintain authenticity.

5. Environmental & Infrastructure Concerns

• Increased impervious surface raising stormwater/flooding risks.
• Removal of mature trees and green space.
• Worries about strain on sewer systems, water runoff, and fire safety for taller structures.
• Loss of wildlife habitat due to reduced open space.

6. Housing Type & Affordability Issues

• Criticism that apartments are “luxury” and too expensive, not serving middle- or lower-income residents.
• Calls for more affordable housing instead of upscale rentals.
• Skepticism about actual demand given existing vacant apartments nearby.

7. Distrust of Developer & Variance Process

• Repeated objections to Jim Worthington’s reputation and influence.
• Belief variances are excessive, rewriting the zoning code entirely.
• Perceptions of corruption or favoritism in approvals.
• Concern that developers profit while residents suffer impacts.

8. Quality of Life Impacts

• Fear of rising taxes, increased noise, and diminished community atmosphere.
• Sense that continued growth will drive current residents away.
• Complaints Newtown is becoming “any other suburb” rather than a quaint, walkable town.

Overall, the major categories of opposition are: Traffic/Parking, Overdevelopment/Density, Loss of Character/History, Environmental/Infrastructure Concerns, Housing Affordability, and Distrust in Developer/Process.

Embedded below are ALL the comments of Newtown Twp Residents who STRONGLY OPPOSE the plan. You can also download the PDF version if you do not see the PDF embedded below.

Some Township Residents Are In Favor of the Plan

Not every survey respondent is opposed to the plan. Five (5) Newtown Township residents were SOMEWHAT IN FAVOR and 9 were STRONGLY IN FAVOR. Here are a few of their comments:

• Currently it is somewhat of an eyesore. So, building high end apartments should bring in more tax money from Worthington and help to enhance our residential home values. Have lived in Newtown Grant since 1991. I could not afford a house today in Newtown Twp.
• I think the size and scope should be curtailed but I am not adverse to having apartments there. I hope there’s some requirement to plant trees and bushes.
• It will be good to see some life come back to the property vs buildings deteriorating however, I do think the number of apartments and levels is just too aggressive. No more than 3 floors and perhaps shorten the building to allow for more parking. That area is already ridiculously short on parking and would be a terrible shame to have such a tall building as proposed, taking away from the quaintness of the town.
• Parking is there enough.?

One resident said “I am a kitchen & bath designer & cabinet dealer. I would love the opportunity to get on board early to bid cabinetry. I can be reached at….(she provided her name, phone number and email address.)