Plans for New Wine and Beer Store in the Works

The developer seeking to construct a new state store on South State Street is in the process of preparing plans for submission, Newtown Borough Solicitor Bill Bolla told council Tuesday. 

Bolla provided an update on the status of developer Allan Smith’s proposal to construct a new 12,000-square-foot wine and spirits store. He said Smith has met with the Newtown Borough zoning officer for recommendations. Once the plans are finalized, they will be submitted to the Zoning Hearing Board.

Smith, who owns the current  on Centre Avenue, is seeking to relocate it to South State Street in a building that meets the current standards of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which leases the space from Smith, is pushing to update its stores so they are larger and more customer-friendly.

Smith, when presenting his concept to council last month, said the interior of the new state store would be identical to the one that recently opened in New Hope.

Smith is currently preparing plans for Steeple View, a mixed-use development on the former Stockburger Chevrolet site off South State Street. The new state store, if approved, would be the first building constructed as part of that project.

Constructing the state store building in advance of the conditional use and land development approval for Steeple View would “create a sample” of what the overall project would look like, Smith said last month. Smith said the design would be done in a way that would keep the building in scale with the others on the street.

In December, Borough Council  to consider Smith’s proposal to construct 121 residential units and 28,900 square feet of commercial space on the former Stockburger Chevrolet site. .

The hearing has since been suspended pending submission of the revised plans.