Stocking Works II: A View From the Ground

It would be the most significant development project the borough has seen in decades. Developer Allan Smith is proposing Stocking Works II, a mixed-use project located on the former Stockburger Chevrolet site.

The project would feature residential, retail, office, and public gathering spaces on a nine-acre site.

Smith presented his sketch plan to the Borough Council Tuesday in front of a crowd of more than 75 people. The proposal drew mixed reviews from the public. Some said they feared it would inject too much of an urban feel into the borough. But others, including several longtime residents and downtown business owners, embraced the proposal.

Concerns about tall buildings and a parking garage were expressed. Some said the project just didn't seem like Newtown.

Council President Julia Woldorf, who supports the proposal, said the perception of Newtown in the mind might be different than reality, particularly at the property in question.

She said she recently took a stroll around the neighborhood where Stocking Works II is being proposed. "I walked around to Center Ave, opposite the proposed piazza. I was struck by how different those buildings really looked than when I had my eyes closed," she said.

So just what do those buildings look like?

Newtown Patch took a walk around the neighborhood Wednesday and here's what we saw.