I can't wait to follow this one. Here comes Honey boo boo...

How do mobile homes have less density than town homes? Hopefully this an idle threat. The cost/acre and school taxes would price these "homes" out of the mobile home buyer market. It's a shame he feels he has to blackmail the BOS. They should be able to work together to come up with a mutually agreeable plan.

Joanne, are you saying that mobile homes are not homes? Are people that live in mobile homes not worthy of living in your precious Newtown? Please clarify...thank you.

I think this is a bad idea!!! Is this going to lower our property value of our homes now?

Lets start a petition to stop this cause I want the value of my home to stay the same

It's a ploy to get more density. A mobile home park would not be in Mr. Platt's best financial interest. This latest gesture of submitting an application for a mobile home park appears to be part of an ongoing strategy to try and get the Township to capitulate on it's zoning.

Buckingham springs is a beautiful mobile park

This is great. Absolutely amazing how this society we live in discriminates on what people live in. I see a lot of mobile homes in better shape then some of those starter castles in precious Newtown. People need to get "REAL" and stop thinking they are better than someone else cause of the size, shape, look of house they live in.

I totaly agry that we must start a petition to stop this , and to keep the value of our homes to stay the same

I was going to renew our swim club membership for one final year but forget about that now Mr. Platt.

WHAT? This is very disappointing. I chose to live in Newtown for a reason. If I wanted to live near a trailer park, I would not have chosen Newtown.

This new plan is equivalent to a six year old taking his ball and going home because he couldn't get his townhome plan approved. In my opinion, Mr. Platt thought his previous affiliation with the Board should entitle him to a variance from the law to satisfy his greed and make more money from Newtown than he is otherwise entitled to. People who live near the swim club should absolutely petition!

This is hard. I want to see affordable housing, but with the economy, I cannot afford to loose any more money on my McMansion. If this economy were good, I would fully support this, but Obama got re-elected....so my taxes are up, my 401k is way down, and due to the aforementioned, my charitable giving (which was substantial) is done until my house and savings return to safe levels. No trailer park!!!

This is hilarious; thanks for the entertainment.

Blackmail? How pathetic. First of all, if the "trailer park" is built I can believe that it will be gorgeous, over priced, and not affordable to the average person within the income bracket for this type of housing. Look at ALL of the housing constructed in Newtown within the last ten years. All of it is extremely expensive, some of it is ostentatious, and I would guess most of it is poorly constructed. I say let the "trailer park" come - the blackmailers will lose out in the end. Don't waste your time with a petition, let the "lower income" housing come and I would bet that the cheapest unit will cost more than $250k.

Does anyone know if this is going to be a low income housing project ?

This is actually kind of funny. My back window faces the swim club and I don't see how they could possibly afford to build a trailer park there. The average price of a newtown home in the area is over $400k. It just doesn't make any sense why he would build housing that would provide him with less profit margins. Either way whatever he builds there will hopefully be an improvement. Over the years we have been forced to stare at mr platts abandoned sail boat. The trash (old water slide) he piles up along the fence and the quickly deteriating buildings with missing shingles and blown off facia metal. Along with the loud music and announcements over the bull horn late on summer nights. It seems to me that there is already a trailer park on that site.

First of all most of these comments are ridiculous and uninformed. To say "that the stock market loves Obama" is hilarious do you even follow the market? Secondly, if the first thing people see when driving into Newtown is a Trailer Park of course it will negatively affect our home values and image of a quaint town with historic properties and landmarks. If you really want to make a difference save your comments for the Board of Supervisors meeting where it will count and not online. I hope to see you all at the Supervisors meeting. SIncerely a concerned Newtown resident and Realtor.

Supervisors Meeting are Jan 9th and Jan 23rd

Look around Newtown PA! It is filled with dysfunctional people of all sorts! It is not the Newtown PA that most of us grew up knowing. They own and rent to btw!

I just noticed if you click on the map at the top of the article there is a picture of "mobile home" that looks like the ones in Buckingham Springs. Perhaps we should keep an open mind about what a "trailer park" would look like. We could have County Builders put in a bunch of 3 story town homes that look hideous (and trust me his projects do look like cheap junk). If we all go screaming to the supervisors we don't want this, it gives Mr. Platt just what he wants - leverage to push for higher density.

Single family homes, trailer park, mcmansions... whatever. Why is it that every time a bit of land opens up someone needs to immediately squeeze as many homes in as possible without any regard for the fact our schools are filled, the roads are more and more congested and the once beautiful countryside is becoming a giant blacktop.

Bremmen, part of the problem is people's willingness to pay for open space. A referendum to increase the EIT from 1% to 1.1% passed by a 2-1 margin back in 2008 but if anyone so much as hints to increase the EIT by 10% to pay for open space people scream they don't want their taxes increased. So the moral of the story is you get what you DON"T pay for I guess.

You have got to be kidding me.

Dave, I know you read all of these, don't be so sour just because people want to preserve some of Newtowns history. Apparently pretty much everyone cared more about that swim club then you.

I guess we'll see if this forces them to grant you your variance... Well played.

The zoning regs allow this type of development there...when we looked at wiltshire walk homes when they were building, we stayed away due to the types of development that were allowed in surrounding properties...It's definitely a leverage ploy by the builder to get concessions from the town...Let him build it and I would take issue with the owners of the propery - THE PLATTS...Boycott their swim club, they don't care about you anyway, just the $$.

I have lived in Newtown all my life. It was such a great place to live. Everyone knew one another. I have no idea who the people are who are making these comments. I agree that Buckingham Springs looks like a nice place to live. I live in a small, old house in the borough and would not mind at all if that type of housing were to go in the land where the swim club is located. Maybe those people would say hello to me when I see them in the Acme.

Well, we all know where the next tornado will strike when this project is completed

After reading these comments, I am officially ashamed to say I am from Newtown. It seems that Newtown has attracted more and more people who are selfish and ignorant.

Trailer parks are ugly, full stop. No thank you!

Reality show to follow... Meet the Newtowners! The rootenist, tootenist bunch of fun lovin rednecks you ever done seen. Ah caint wait!!!

Thousands of families paying high property taxes, and a small 56 paying almost none for the right to live in an otherwise beautiful community which sees its property values plummet due to the addition of 56 trailers. Brilliant town planning once again.

Trailers,schmailers....30 years ago, Newtown had afforable housing for young professionals
in Newtown Crossing. The average price for a roomey townhome was $70,000. All of us who were fortunate enough to purchase these homes eventually moved up , some to local McMasions with price tags over $1,OOO,OOO. We supported the local businesses and made Jim Worthington ,sadly, the mogul he is now. Unfortunetly, our children and for some of us, grandchildren, cannot affford to live in Newtown unless they are camped back with their parents. How about using this as an opportunity to establish afordable housing for the next generation and revitalize this community.

Boycott the swim club! Go to the Supervisors meeting- voice your opinions!

It's amazing. This community has supported the Platt's business for many many years, and now that the Platts have decided to sell, they have decided to try and strong arm the very community that supported them. In their efforts to extract more $$ out of their land than the zoning regulations allow, the Platts are now using the threat of a mobile home park to get the town to give in to concessions....The reality is that the zoning regulations allow mobile homes in this part of town, and if that's what the Platts want their legacy to be, let them build "Platts Mobile Home Park" Good riddance.

Let the Platt's proceed with their proposal, it makes no sense from a social as well as economic perspective and they are likely to spend a lot of money with all of the necessary paperwork to no avail. Or they could they could choose to work with the township to zone something that will be in everyone's best interests. I applaud the resistance to the first proposal and as a long time Swim Club member I am ashamed for the Platt's actions and stance. Had they taken a more conciliatory course this whole event might have been avoided.

How sad- This is how Platt will be remembered-as a selfish man who thought nothing of screwing over the people who supported him his whole life.

I was born and raised here in Newtown 58 years ago. We had to drive to Feasterville to get fastfood because Newtown was strict about remaining an HISTORICAL COMMUNITY. My parents could not even use vinyl siding, others have to buy wooden garage doors. Hell, I can't even keep my boat or trailer here on my OWN PROPERTY. But Yet, they can allow a trailer park WTH is wrong with these people???

oh and by the way, i am planning to move, such a shame Newtown changed so much, its notthe same town at all - so Good riddence.

No what U should really look at is WHY the 2 gallagwers voted 4 it !

JohnMcCriminal - I get (we all get) that you have a beef with John McGrath. If it is a true beef, if he has done something illegal, cheated the township out of money, hidden funds, or some other thing that is in the public interest to know, the be out with it and the specifics of it. Cheating on his wife, though disgusting, has not one thing to do with getting a building permit.

@ the voice , McCriminal is a mental midget hiding behind a curtain like the wizard of oz !