Proposed Main Street Apartments Draw Fire At Borough Zoning Hearing
A large majority of the about 15 residents who spoke November 14 at a public hearing on a rental apartment complex proposed for 19 Main Street, voiced opposition to the plan, which would require the demolition of the former Inn at Newtown, a historic structure that has been vacant since January 2016.
A few people who commented on the matter, however, supported the proposal, while others suggested that such multifamily development occur elsewhere in town to meet a local need for a diversity of housing.
Approximately 100 people attended the Borough Zoning Commission (BZC) hearing, which addressed development firm 19 Main Street, LLC’s request for two regulatory mechanisms — the creation of zoning regulations known as the Borough Residential Overlay District (BROD) and the application of such regulations to the 3.002-acre 19 Main Street site.
If the BZC approves those two proposed regulations by “super majority” votes, in which four of the five BZC members vote in the affirmative, the developer would then need to submit to the BZC “engineered” plans for technical review. So far, the developer has submitted “conceptual” drawings which describe a construction project consisting of 40 two-bedroom apartments located in three buildings.
The BZC took no action on the zoning application on November 14. The public hearing is scheduled to resume at 7 pm on Wednesday, December 11, at Newtown Middle School auditorium, 11 Queen Street.
(Read a detailed account of the November 14 BZC public hearing in the November 22 print edition of The Newtown Bee).
Just want to point out how “Nicer in Newtown” isn’t taken seriously by others when the tell a government council that it would be okay to build these apartments, but not near where they live. They want to push it off on someone else. Make it someone else’s problem. “Nicer in Newtown” ? …not so much.
Looking forward to next meeting. I encourage at the next public hearing there should be a serious discussion of the 8.30g option and the realities of what Main Street and Newtown could face at this site. By not working with the potential developers what this site could face. How well the Historic District question can sustain a challenge. Is there an option to trade land at FFH and the town to take control ot 19 Main Street in a fair trade deal as well. There needs to be continued talks to come to a solution. I personally feel this is an ideal location for residence, not rentals, either condominiums and or townhouses that have some age restrictions if needed. Maybe for seniors or our aging population who may want to downsize. Hope to see more residents there who resiide outside of the Borough since this impacts the entire town and its appeal.
from this Senator Tony Hwangs website.
“8-30g law has become an emotional issue for many communities because of the broad latitude it gives developers to build under the auspices of increasing affordable housing inventory. Developers can place dense, multi-family projects into single-family neighborhoods, or take land set aside for office buildings and make it into residential properties with set aside percentages far below median income housing. These sometimes controversial development projects often change the town’s character and disrupts neighborhoods.”