[This image shows site of proposed Steeple View bridge from the Carl Sedia Park vantage point. The township would have do work (i.e.,. SPEND MONEY) on this side of the creek to hold up the bridge and also supply a path to the bridge with adequate lighting. Just a couple of reason for opposing this bridge,]
On Tuesday night, after three hours of discussion, the Newtown Borough Council voted 5 to 1 to approve revised final plans for the mixed-use Traditional Neighborhood Development that will change the face of the borough.
The updated project will redevelop a nine-acre swath of land stretching from Centre Avenue behind the Starbucks south to the former Stockburger property with seven new buildings - four residential and three mixed-use - bringing between 75 and 88 new apartments to the borough and roughly 12,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space.
The project will also include several public amenities including a public piazza designed as a gathering place for town events; a pedestrian bridge at the southern end of the property linking the borough and the township at Carl Sedia Park; and a formalized greenway/walkway along the Newtown Creek from Centre Avenue south to the proposed pedestrian bridge.
The pedestrian bridge has been deferred to the later stages of the project.
In the meantime, Smith and his team of professionals will be seeking the approval of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors to move forward with the bridge project. They'll also be working to secure the proper permitting from the state.
Prior to the vote, Councilor Kris Bauman peppered the developer's attorney on a number of issues, including the design of the parking area and the proposed pedestrian bridge.
Regarding the pedestrian bridge, Bauman voiced concern that if the township says no to the project, the borough will be left with a greenway trail that stops at the end of the property.
"Since they were prepared to build the bridge, would they be prepared to work with us on an alternate open space improvement that would be available to its residents and everybody else in the event the bridge doesn't happen," he asked.
"The short answer is no," replied the developer's attorney Tim Duffy. "This is what we proposed. In our view the borough is getting this piazza for free that will cost millions of dollars to build. The restoration and construction of the greenway is something that would not exist if we were not going to put that in.
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"From day one," said Duffy, "everyone has known you can't build a bridge that only has one side to it. It has to lead somewhere. We would love for it to go in. All indications are that the majority of the township still supports it," he said. "I don't know why they wouldn't."
But my survey reveals dozens of reasons they wouldn't or shouldn't!
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