Township Review of Trailer Park Plans Postponed Until March

The first public review of plans for a trailer park on the Newtown Swim Club property has been postponed.

A Newtown Township Planning Commission review of a 56-pad trailer park will not take place on Feb. 5 as planned, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Gallagher told Patch today.

John VanLuvanee, the attorney for applicant County Builders, contacted the township this week to request a continuance due to a scheduling conflict. The application has not been withdrawn; rather it will likely be reviewed in March by the Planning Commission.

According to the letter from VanLuvanee to the township, he will be away during the scheduled hearing and unable to attend. A new date for has not yet been set, however the Planning Commission meetings in March are scheduled for the 5th and the 19th.

The township is still awaiting word from VanLuvanee regarding the probability of County Builders resubmitting plans for townhouses on the 16-acre property instead of a trailer park. 

According to Gallagher, township solicitor Jeffrey Garton has reached out to County Builders to see if it would again consider a townhome plan instead of a trailer park. VanLuvanee is expected to respond within the next week or two, Gallagher said.

The application for a mobile home park was submitted in December after the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors voted to send its solicitor to the Zoning Hearing Board to defend the township's zoning regulations with regards to County Builders' 52-townhome proposal.

The townhome proposal required a variance because it exceeded the housing density permitted in that zoning district.

Board members Rob Ciervo, Matt Benchener and Phil Calabro voted in favor of sending the solicitor to represent the township. Since then, in response to the community’s outrage over the trailer park proposal, board member Matt Benchener said he would now support townhomes.