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Demolition of Abandoned Houses on Durham Rd Imminent

The cluster of boarded-up houses, across from the Corner Bakery Cafe, will be demolished to make way for an assisted living complex.

 

A string of abandoned and boarded-up houses at Durham and Eagle roads will be demolished in the coming weeks to make way for an assisted living complex.

The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved development and financial security agreements for The Birches, a 87,000-square-foot, 120-bed assisted living complex.

The facility will be located on about 8.6 acres across from the Corner Bakery Cafe.

There is some minor site cleanup, like small amounts of asbestos and a few oil tanks that will need to be removed, said a project representative. Cleanup and demolition will begin immediately and will likely take about three months to complete.

Construction will begin once the cleanup and demolition is finished.

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Related Topics: Newtown Township Board of Supervisors and The Birches

John F

7:46 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

This is only about 3 years overdue. How could the government leave that eyesore for so long. There must have been some way to force the developer/owner to at least not allow the houses to become an attractive hazard to kids and a totlaleyesore to the community.

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Newtownie1

8:25 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

While I agree that these houses have become an eyesore and need to be removed, I don't think we need another assisted living facility. Are Chandler Hall, Pennswood Village, Wynwood in Richboro, Attleboro in Langhorne and Manor Care in Yardley not enough! Why dont they build affordable housing for young couples to bring more life and vitality into this area. Soon enough it will be over run with an older population, young people with children will move to more amenable areas and this town will fade away as the older population dies. Who makes the decisions for what to build and why doesn't anyone say enough! I love Newtown, but come on, enough is enough. I guess the only thing they car about is the money.

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the VOICE

5:01 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

U should have come up with the money and bought the land !

Becky

8:27 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

It's been more than three years! Between that stretch and the old Acme Newtown looked embarrassing. My question is - will the assisted living facility be outrageously expensive as most in the area are so that the "average" senior can't even afford to live there?

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Mel

10:35 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

I am in total agreement, we don't need another retirement complex! McGrath homes, the development in Washington Crossing, all the aforementioned assisted living sites - very shortsighted. We need the vitality and economic activity of people in their childbearing years. Build affordable family housing!!!

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Karen

1:26 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

We need someplace where the Seniors in Newtown can downsize or get a little extra help that is affordable. They may not need a nursing home and are past having a single home and cannot afford a million dollar home that is 4 stories high in a Over 65 Senior Living development.

K & C Floorcovering, Inc.

1:33 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

This decision was made by your board of supervisors. Several residential scenarios were presented by the owner/developer only to have them summarily dismissed. Single family homes, townhouses, condos, etc. have all been explored, proposed, and shot down. Thousands upon thousands of dollars were spent on impact studies, drawings, and presentations that were all given the thumbs down by the board.
Ask them why they setteled on assisted living when they had ample opportunity to approve any of the numerous, more desirable options.;

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Newtown Resident

3:14 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Think about it from tax standpoint....They get a fully developed property that they can tax, and there is no negative impact of additional students in the school system. AS someone else mentioned, there were a number of proposals presented over the years that were rejected.

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NS

10:19 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

From a tax standpoint they will use benefits, not bring in needed tax revenues.

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Newtown Resident

8:45 am on Friday, December 7, 2012

The taxes paid will far exceed the benefits used, plus the additional burden that a townhouse, or housing development would have put on school system.

former newtownian

3:42 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

I was counting on squatting in those home when I loose my job dang it.

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Mari

10:38 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

There are already traffic problems in that area, now we will have more cars? Vehicles are coasting thru the new 4 way stop on Eagle, where Pier One, Wells Fargo and McCafs located. Maybe with the extra tax dollars we can get extra police to monitor the traffic?

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The Illuminati

10:39 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Should have built the super wawa that was proposed so the people of Newtown could buy gas at market prices and not $.30 to .40 a gallon higher than any surrounding communities.

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Dana - www.petsitnewtown.com

8:29 am on Friday, December 7, 2012

The Wawa would have been the best thing ever. Period!

The Illuminati

10:42 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Mari...don't hold your breath on extra police. This board tried laying cops off just two years ago. They haven't added any officers to the ranks in over a decade, even though the population continues to grow.

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NS

1:40 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012

Let them have Upper Makefield's police, there are too many here and they don't do anything.

Ricki Korn

4:27 pm on Saturday, May 11, 2013

I am in my mid 50"s ..We really need more affordable housing for everyone!!Not assisted living!!!

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