Approval Process For Stocking Works II to Begin Wednesday

The approval process for the redevelopment of the former Stockburger Chevrolet site will begin Wednesday with a conditional use hearing by Newtown Borough Council.

Developer Allan Smith is seeking to construct Stocking Works II, a mixed-use development on six acres off South State Street. The project would feature residential, retail and a two-deck parking structure.

Conditional use approval from council doesn’t mean Smith can break ground on the project. It simply allows him to go forward with engineering to prepare a preliminary plan to be submitted to the borough.

Smith said he believes the project will be beneficial to Newtown and encouraged residents to attend the hearing to learn more about his proposal.

“Seeing our community change is difficult and indeed having been here for the past 51 years I've seen a lot of it and unfortunately it's not all been good,” Smith said in an email. “Perhaps because Newtown is my hometown, I have been careful to make sure my projects have improved the quality of life here.”

Other borough projects completed by Smith include The Brick Hotel, which was boarded up when he renovated it, the original Stocking Works, Barclay Court and Isaac Newton’s, which was a “three-bay garage that was collapsing,” Smith said.

Smith for conditional use approval – Plan A and Plan B.

Plan B is similar to the one presented informally to Borough Council in May. It includes the development of two additional acres -- the State Store property plus the adjacent municipal lot – and features additional civic amenities such as a creek walk, a public gathering space and an amphitheatre.

Plan B won’t be considered Wednesday because Smith doesn’t own the one-acre municipal parking lot site.  Smith, who owns the State Store property, was the former owner of the municipal lot property but donated it to the borough several years ago.

The Conditional Use Hearing will take place at 7 p.m. at the

Plan A overview:

• Utilizes approximately six acres; former Stockburger site and Sedia property.
• 121 residential units; 72 of which are high end
• Two-deck parking structure with 210 spaces
• 185 spaces in below-ground parking structure
• 28,904 square feet of commercial
• No office square footage
• State Store and municipal lot remain as-is.
• No creek walk
• No public piazza