Politics & Government

Third Application Filed For Stocking Works II Project

The application filed Thursday – billed as Plan C -- eliminates the parking garage and reduces the number of residential condominiums to 78.

 

Developer Allan Smith has filed a third conditional use application with Newtown Borough for the development of the former Stockburger Chevrolet property on South State Street.

Smith is proposing a mixed-use development called Stocking Works II for the site, however, the size and scope of the plan is currently up in the air.

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In an email to Newtown Patch, Smith said the application filed Thursday – billed as Plan C -- eliminates the 210-space parking garage that is included in Plan A and B.  

Plan C also reduces the number of residential condominiums to 78 and the commercial square footage to 23,155. The Stockburger buildings on site, which will be demolished, total approximately 15,000 square feet.

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The scaled-back Plan C has 116 surface parking spots as well as underground residential parking for the condos.

In December, Newtown Borough Council began a conditional use hearing for Plan A, which has 121 condos, 40,904 square feet of commercial space, a parking garage as well as underground residential parking.

Smith has also filed an application for Plan B, which includes the development of two additional acres -- the State Store property plus the adjacent municipal lot – and features civic amenities such as a creek walk and a public square.

Plan B includes 109 condos and 42,700 square feet of commercial space.

But Plan B isn’t currently being considered 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.

Smith said the three options offer the borough a range of options that council and the public should consider carefully.

"Is a plan that provides a public square, creek walk, parking garage and the elimination of traffic entering Centre Avenue from the current municipal parking lot in front of the existing State Store worth having 31 additional residential units, 1,803 square footage of commercial space and 25,000 square feet of second and third floor office space?," he said. 

"This is what Plan B provides over Plan A. On the other, hand if the borough simply wants the smallest project possible without any of the aforementioned public improvements and the additional parking the garage will provide, then Plan C is the way to go."

Smith said he personally prefers Plan B because of the public improvements and the fact it will return the existing borough parking lot in front of the State Store to a tax-paying entity while also freeing the borough from the cost of maintaining it.  Plus, he said, the one-way entrance off Centre Avenue will ease congestion on that street.


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