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Managing Growth and Development: Housing Projections Analysis
The 109-page FINAL DRAFT of the 2024 Newtown Area Comprehensive Plan (“the Plan”; LINK: https://tinyurl.com/FinalDraftCompPlan) was approved for advertising by the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors at its March 27, 2024, meeting. Other members of the Jointure – Wrightstown and Upper Makefield – are expected to do the same, if they have not done so already.
The Plan was developed by the Bucks County Planning Commission (BCPC), and current version dated 2/27/24 is the result of several years of back and forth deliberations among Jointure members. Its purpose is to address the challenges faced by the members. The Plan, which contains nine guiding principles for the future, is a blueprint for the future.
Each Jointure municipality will hold a public meeting to answer questions and hear comments from residents. Newtown Township’s plans to include this at its May 22. 2024, Board of Supervisors meeting.
In order to help Newtown Township residents prepare for the scheduled May 22, 2024, meeting, I hope to prepare several short synopses of major sections of the Plan. This first synopsis focuses on:
Principle #1 - PROMOTE SMART GROWTH
Read the analysis in Newtown Patch...
The goal of the Plan developers with regard to housing, as it was explained to me at a Jointure meeting, was to determine if the Jointure had enough open space where housing is permitted to accommodate the projected population growth. The answer was yes. They used a figure of 224 new residents for Newtown by 2030. This number was from DVRPC; Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and is based on 2020 Census data analysis. However, what comes first? The chicken (people) or the eggs (developers getting their way)? That is, if you build it, people will come. Although the planners (BCPC) think there is enough available space WITHOUT changing the zoning, they also suggest that zoning be changed to allow more housing (e.g., in the OR and OLI/LI districts which ONLY exist in Newtown). How can this be a plan to promote "smart growth?"
Perhaps the "Smart Growth" section needs an update...
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