March 17, 2021 Zoom Meeting of the Newtown Human Relations Commission

A Bucks County man named in a defamation lawsuit filed by from Newtown Athletic Club and its owner Jim Worthington says it's "a bullying tactic" in his GoFundMe page where he seeks help for his legal bills.

Greg Bullough and Moveon.org are being sued over a petition Bullough made on Jan. 10 calling on businesses and groups to cut ties with the club after Worthington helped organize buses to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 for a political rally. After the rally, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in what would become a deadly insurrection.

"This is a bullying tactic; it is a meritless SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Political Participation) case. However, even meritless cases cost money to defend," Bullough says on his fundraising page.

More than 100 projects across 45 Pennsylvania counties have been approved for nearly $50 million in funding, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday.

Newtown Township was awarded $227,000 in funding for the second phase of construction of the Lower Dolington Road Multi-Use Trail. The first phase of the trail was funded through the same grant program in 2019.

The funding comes from the state's Multimodal Transportation Fund, which was created in 2013 to fund improvement projects for roads, walking and bike trails, rail, traffic safety, public transportation and air transport.

[Image: Toll Bros representative makes his case at the hearing.View the video of the hearing.]

A proposed residential development that’s been at the center of legal challenges and controversy in Upper Makefield for nearly 15 years again entered the spotlight at the township’s Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

Ultimately, supervisors voted unanimously to reject Fort Washington-headquartered developer Toll Brothers’ proposal to build 45 single family homes on some 66 acres off Stoopville Road. The land is commonly referred to as the Melsky Tract Subdivision.

Supervisors primarily rejected the proposal because they believe Toll is trying to build too many homes on the land, given what the land can stand, asserting that stormwater will not properly infiltrate the ground, instead becoming disruptive runoff. Upper Makefield has an ordinance that requires proper infiltration.

As a result of denying the proposed development plan, township officials are anticipating a renewed legal challenge from Toll.

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[Image: Proposed electronic signage on Newtown Bypass]

Developers of a proposed Wawa gas station and convenience store off the Newtown Bypass appeared before the Newtown Township Planning Commission on Tuesday.

Representatives for Provco Group, which develops Wawa stores across the region, presented the most recent plans for the 5-acre vacant lot at the southwestern corner of the Newtown Bypass and Silver Lake Road.

Provco is seeking several variances from the township related to signage, the size of the canopy, the number of fuel pumps, and whether project met the definition of a "special exception" gas station and convenience store in the township's OR zoning district.

Planning commission member Peggy Driscoll said the township shouldn't have to change its zoning to fit Wawa's business plan.

"The ordinance should be upheld," Driscoll said. "I think you're allowed six pumps and you should be happy with that."

Provco is also seeking approval for electronic signage, which is currently not permitted in the OR zoning district. Commission member Kierstyn Zolfo said granting Wawa a special exception would be unfair to nearby competition.

"If we allow this, then that puts them at a disadvantage," Zolfo said. "Or it forces them to make an investment."

Listen to this 21-minute audio excerpt from the meeting... https://bit.ly/PC-Wawa20Apr21podcast

At its April 21, 2021, Zoom meeting, the Newtown Planning Commission discussed Provco’s Zoning Hearing Board “Special Exception” application that includes variances to allow a proposed Motor Vehicle Fueling & Convenience Store (i.e., Super Wawa) on the southwest corner of Newtown Bypass & Lower Silver Lake Road in the Newtown Office Research district.

Note that this so-called “E-30” use recently was created by the Newtown-Wrightstown-Upper Makefield Joint Zoning Council via a “municipal cure” process.

The requested variances to the E-30 use includes 8 multi-product fueling dispensers where 6 are permitted & associated signage, including an electronic sign visible to the Bypass where electronic signs are prohibited throughout Newtown.

Presenting at the meeting was John VanLuvanee, Esq., agent on behalf of Provco Pineville Acquisitions, and project engineer Jason Korczak of Bohler Engineering. After the presentation and general discussion and questions by Commission members, each member was requested to vote on the special exception application in general and specifically regarding the variances for the fueling dispensers and electronic signage on the Bypass.

Listen to this 21-minute excerpt from the meeting...

It seems that Bucks County Commissioners intend to approve a $25,995 contract with facial recognition technology company Clearview AI to provide assistive technology for law enforcement.

Nearly 70 immigrant rights, civil liberties and privacy groups are currently calling on the Department of Homeland Security to 'immediately stop' using [facial recognition] technology (source) amid massive privacy concerns and accusations of racial bias with the software, leading to wrongful arrests.

The Bucks County Commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Bucks County Administration Building, 55 E. Court St., Doylestown. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Bucks County Government Facebook page and archived there for later viewing.The approval is one of the first items on Wednesday's agenda.

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Racial bias in traffic stops has been a focus of researchers and civil rights advocates for years. At Stanford University’s Open Policing Project, researchers analyzing more than 100 million traffic stops around the country found persistent racial disparities, with Black and Hispanic drivers more likely to be stopped and more likely to be searched. Collectively, officers found contraband at a lower rate among those searches than in searches of white drivers.

Traffic stops also have the potential to escalate, like the case of Mr. Wright, who was shot by a police officer after he got back into his car as the police tried to arrest him for an unrelated warrant. The officer, Kimberly A. Potter, who had shouted that she was preparing to use her Taser, resigned and was charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Paige Fernandez, a policing policy advocate at the American Civil Liberties Union, said low-level infractions such as expired registrations and air fresheners on mirrors should not be handled by armed police officers.

“The danger that police traffic stops pose greatly outweighs any benefit of having them engage in that,” Ms. Fernandez said.

“Even if you are polite, calm, even college-educated, the bottom line is that at the end of the day you are still Black,” Mr. Taylor said. “That’s all the cop sees and stereotypes.”

A Bucks County community has been ranked as one of the safest towns in Pennsylvania.

SafeWise, a security product review platform, recently ranked the 10 safest towns and cities in the Keystone State based on recent crime statistics as well as data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Buckingham Township made the list. The township, with a population of 20,279, came in fifth.

The organization ranked 50 Pennsylvania cities in 2021 using recent crime statistics and data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to SafeWise, 136 Pennsylvania cities and towns met the criteria to be considered for the ranking. Seven of the cities on the list reported no violent crimes and 25 reported fewer than five total violent crimes.

Crime concerns in Pennsylvania

The violent crime rate in Pennsylvania has held at 3.1 incidents per 1,000 people for the past three years, which has been below the national average every year. Even so, Pennsylvanian’s level of worry about violent crime is about 5% higher than the rest of the country.

• 20% fewer people experienced violent crime in Pennsylvania than the average nationwide.
• 62% named gun violence their top safety concern (US 53%), and twice as many people reported having an experience with gun violence in the past year.
• Gun violence grabbed headlines much of the year in hotspots like Philadelphia, where gun-related deaths eclipsed the total number of homicides in 2019 by 40% as of early October.
• Mass shooting incidents have increased 79% year over year, from 19 in 2019 to 34 this year.
• 44% of survey respondents are most worried about a gun violence incident happening to them (US 38%).
• 38% worry about police violence daily (US 40%) and 53% have confidence in law enforcement (US 56%).

What started as a passionate hobby for Stephanie Eubanks has turned into a growing business.

The Virginia native is the name behind SugarBomb, a new dessert provider operating out of the Green Parrot Restaurant in Newtown.

SugarBomb will hold its grand opening at the Green Parrot on Monday [April 20, 2021], where her first 50 customers will receive a free cupcake.

Eubanks is currently taking orders through Facebook and Instagram pages. Available items include, but are not limited to: cupcakes, cakesicles, hot cocoa bombs, cake pops, brownie bites, cheesecake bites, and treat boxes.

Grant for Police Vehicles, Newtown Community Cleanup, Technology & Communications Committee Re-organized, Environmental Seminars, Wireless Facilities Ordinance & DAS, 2021 Road paving Program, More...

These are my personal notes from the14 April 2021 Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) Meeting. Not all items on the agenda are covered in these notes.

Includes:

• DCED Grant for Police Vehicle
• Educational Anti-litter Campaign
• EAC Liaison Report
• JZC Liaison Report
• 2021 Road Program: List of Roads to be Repaved in 2021
• March 2021 Police Report
• April 14, 2021, Bill List totaling $332,651.19

More...

View the meeting video archive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bcm-bCmFRhGbqph4iY9GxZViaBlpxhy7/view

Download the PDF version here: http://bit.ly/14Apr21BOSNotes

A group of Holland Road neighbors will have to wait until April 22 to see if Northampton's zoning hearing board will overturn a zoning officer's opinion about a proposed Wawa with gas pumps.

Eight neighbors appealed an initial determination by zoning officer Mike Soloman that the 5,585-square-foot Wawa with eight fuel stations was a by right use in the township's C-2 Commercial zoning district.

The parcel is across from an existing Wawa, on the site of an existing Shell gas station. 

The neighbors say Provco Pinegood Northampton LLC's plans should have been deemed a gasoline service station, requiring a conditional use hearing by the Northampton supervisors.

Conditional uses and special exceptions in municipal zoning laws allow towns to curb development, as long as they don't outright ban legal land uses.

Attorney Christopher Papa argued Monday the opinion could set a precedent allowing developers a way to tack on primary uses as accessory uses to circumvent local zoning laws.

"We feel that this is sort of a rubber stamp to this big use that is going to impact this community," Papa told the board at the start of the two-hour hearing Monday night. 

The appeal also argues that a lack of a conditional-use hearing denied the public an opportunity to voice concerns to the township.

You may read about them in the newspaper or see them along local roads, plowing snow in the winter or patching potholes in the spring.

They’re your township supervisors and staff, and while you may not know them personally, these public servants show up each and every day with one goal in mind: to build a better community for you, your family, and your neighbors.

As Pennsylvania celebrates Local Government Week, April 12-16, this is the perfect opportunity for you to better understand the critical role your township and its officials play in the commonwealth’s governing system.

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The Newtown Borough Council at its April 7 work session agreed to take the next step toward establishing a single trash hauler system for the borough.

After holding a public hearing on the potential change and soliciting input from residents, council directed its solicitor to begin drafting an amended ordinance to spell out the details.

The borough will also begin drafting a Request for Proposals that will spell out many of the issues raised by borough residents, including cost, collection days, yard waste and bulk item pickup, enforcement, etc.

“This does not automatically mean it’s a done deal,” said Council President Tara Grunde-McLaughlin. “It means we will now take the next step to determine how it will be done and how it will be structured. If we reach a point where we can’t do it the way we want to do it, we still might not make it happen. But it’s a fork in the road.”

Under a single hauler system, the borough would develop a request for proposals, which would spell out the length of the contract and the services expected, including such things as the number of regular trash pickup days per week and whether separate bulk item and yard waste pickups would be included.

The borough has not decided how billing would be done, whether it would be through the borough or directly to residents. Some municipalities bill residents directly, either as a separate quarterly bill or as part of their annual tax bill.

The borough’s Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) brought the idea of a single hauler to Council two years ago, raising concern over multiple garbage trucks rumbling through the borough on multiple days and companies consistently operating outside of their designated collection days.

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Wawa stores have come online all over, from Levittown to Doylestown, Montco to South Jersey. In several places, like Horsham, Lower Southampton and Mount Laurel, locals have called “Stop!” to Wawa’s advance on corner lots and pockets of open space. It’s happening again in Northampton Township, in a neighborhood called Holland Village.

Holland is largely a bedroom community. Sandwiched between Buck, Holland and Rocksville roads, are several beautiful acres of open space that will be cleared and graded for a Super Wawa. The store will be about 5,600 square feet, and have at least 16 gas pumps.

A notice for the April 12 meeting of Northampton Township's Zoning Board on the issue of approving land development for a 16-pump Wawa gas station and store along Holland Road.

 [Northampton Zoning Hearing Board on Monday, 12 April 2021, 6:30 PM: Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8167... Meeting ID: 816 7268 6216]

Neighbors nearby have opposed this plan for at least two years. One old timer drove me around for an hour in his car, showing me the store’s footprint. His house, where he has lived since the 1950s, is about 200 feet from what is set to be the store’s parking lot.

Wawa is open 24/7. Large canopies over the gas pump are lit all night. There will be traffic and truck deliveries. As I said, I like Wawa. I just don’t know if I’d like to live 200 or even 2,000 feet from one.

Which is why residents began an online petition to stop the Holland store, which is characterized as “intrusive.” Increased traffic and decreased sense of “community” as well as a loss of the “quaint feel” of the Holland area are the concerns.

I know Wawa has the zoning in Northampton, or most of it, but does it really need that store at that location? Does it want to tick off the 1,300 people who’ve signed the petition?

When I was covering the township, it always had a budget surplus of $20 million. If any dough is left, maybe buy the property and create a recreation area. It’s a beautiful piece of land. I can see why Wawa wants it, and why neighbors don't want Wawa there.

“Gotta have a Wawa” oh, yeah. But in this case, maybe you gotta put the Wawa somewhere else.

More…

Environmental Advisory Council (April 12, 2021): LED streetlight presentation

Newtown Sewer Authority Advisory Board (April 13, 2021): Hopefully, there will be a discussion related to the NBCJMA project in the Nob Hill/Devonshire communities.

Northampton Planning Commission (April 13, 2021): Consideration of Preliminary/Final Plan of Subdivision and Land Development, WaWa (Provco), SLD 20-2, 287 Holland Road. This is of interest to Newtown residents because Provco also submitted an application to build a Wawa on Newtown Bypass. Both applications avoid a hearing before the respective Boards of Supervisors.

Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting (April 14, 2021): The Township Engineer will present the 2021 Road Pavement Program Bid Recommendation. Learn which roads will be repaved this year. The engineer may present a recommendation for the Board's consideration regarding the paving of the roads in the Hill/Devonshire communities

Newtown Planning Commission (April 20, 2021): Will review the Provco Wawa “Special Exception” application. Also to discuss rezoning of the LI and OLI (Business Commons) districts.

More details…

A group of residents could force a proposed Wawa with gas pumps to seek approval from Northampton supervisors, if the zoning board agrees with them Monday.

The zoning board will hear from multiple residents appealing a February 2020 decision by the township’s zoning officer allowing the store as a byright use, which could result in developer Provco Pinegood Northampton needing conditional use approval by Northampton supervisors.

The developer proposed plans for a 5,585-square-foot store with eight fueling stations at the 2.5-acre parcel at the intersection of Holland, Rocksville and Buck roads.

Some residents are claiming Northampton officials aren't following the right course in their consideration of a proposed Wawa with gas pumps. The parcel is across from an existing Wawa, on the site of an existing Shell gas station.

The township's zoning officer approved the store’s development application as a byright use in the C-2 Commercial Overlay zoning district near an area of the township known as Holland.

The appeal filed by New Castle attorney Christopher Papa argues the proposed store actually meets the requirements in the township’s zoning ordinance for a conditional use hearing by the supervisors.

The township permits a retail store use with accessory fuel pumps, but the neighbors say the gas is the primary driver of the business and retail should be considered the accessory use.

A Change.org petition created almost a year ago is currently up to 1,335 signatures as of Friday at noon. [Find the petition here]

Papa said Friday he doesn’t expect the zoning hearing to last multiple meetings. A ruling in favor of his clients wouldn't mean the end of the Wawa, but it would move it to

On April 1, 2021, I attended a Zoom meeting hosted by the Bucks County Consortium. At that meeting Evan Stone, Executive Director of the Bucks County Planning Commission (BCPC), made a presentation titled “The Future of Bucks County Fire Service.”

This post focuses on applying the takeaways from that presentation to Newtown Township. Focusing on:

• Newtown's Paid Fire Department
• How Much Does It Cost to Run a Full-Time Fire Department?
• Where Will the Money Come From?

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The proposed second Chick-fil-A for the area will have to wait, as the plan was tabled by the Middletown Township Planning Commission.

The planners voted Wednesday evening to table the plan until a future meeting over concerns related to traffic in the area where the fast food company wants to open a second Middletown Township location.

Chick-fil-A is looking to build a 5,200-square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating, indoor seating, and a dual-lane drive-thru in what is now the parking lot between the Starbucks and Inspire Federal Credit Union and in front of Floor and Decor at 1501 East Lincoln Highway.

COVID-19 has led to Chick-fil-A focusing more room for mobile ordering operations, which has proved extremely popular, Martinez said.

Chick-fil-A has already obtained a variances from the zoning heard board for hours of operation – 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday – and impervious service.

Traffic studies were carried out by Chick-fil-A and found lunchtime would likely be the busiest for the location.

Several residents that spoke during public comment raised worries about traffic in the shopping centers that surround proposed location.

“We’re going to have tons of traffic backed up,” resident Michael Gay told planners.

Resident Bob Feather, a former school board member, called for the township to talk to residents and the owners of the shopping centers to fix the problems, including the “traffic nightmare.” He added he had no objections specifically to the Chick-fil-A plans, but the general area needed some improvements.

Rich Nuttall, the vice chairperson of the planning commission, said he liked Chick-fil-A, but said tabling the plan would give some time for options to improve traffic in the area to be discussed.

More...

Newtown Police Department will be hosting a Drug Take Back Day on April 24, 2021 from 10 am - 2 pm at a drop off location at the Newtown Township Administration Building 100 Municipal Drive Newtown, Pa 18940.

This year’s Take Back Day is going to look a bit different, but rest assured: in addition to safety precautions, all sites will be accepting medications via a drive up and drop in system. Here’s what to do:

• Bring prescription medications, vaping products, over-the-counter and pet medications for safe disposal
• As you approach the drop off site, stay in your vehicle. Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and other vehicles in line
• Stay alert for pedestrians in the area
• Follow the directions of police or volunteers at the site
• Pull up to the drop off location, place your meds into the box
• Drive away at a safe speed knowing that you have helped!

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If a terrorist poisoned our water supply, all hell would break loose*. We'd call in the National Guard. We'd probably start a war. The strange thing is, unbeknownst to many of us, we and our neighbors are unwittingly doing something similar.

Abetted by lawncare companies and homeowners associations, many of us are regularly having water-soluble poisons sprayed on our yards which then leach into our wells and our aquifers and flow off into drainage ditches and into our creeks, which then flow into our river. And we wonder why there is so much cancer.

The problem is that these toxins accumulate. They are not only in our yards — and therefore our wells and streams — they are in genetically modified foods which include most breads, cereals, grains, pizza, pasta, etc., and they are sprayed by PennDOT along our roadways and bridges, where, again, they wash into our streams.

Please, dear neighbors, tell your lawncare people that you want an organic, no-spray lawn. Tell them you don't want to take the risk of possibly harming your children, your dogs, your parents or yourselves.

Our lawns don't need chemical intervention. And then after you talk with the landscapers, work with your HOAs so that they will not harass you for having the gall to want a healthy world for yourself and your children.

Opinion of Cynthia Greb, a resident of Solebury.

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Edgar W. Brick has opted to donate his 37.2-acre property on the 900 block of Mt. Eyre Road into a conservation easement with the township.

On Tuesday, April 6, the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors voted to authorize township professionals to prepare the documents required to allow the acceptance of the easement, thereby ultimately making it official.

The resolution notes that the township has identified the property as a “high priority” for conservation.

In Pennsylvania, a voluntary conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation/natural values – the upshot of which is that significant development is typically prohibited under terms of the deals.

Such easements allow property owners to continue to own and use their land, as well as to sell it or pass it on to heirs. Owners can donate easements, or seek to be compensated by land trusts or government agencies that wish to conserve the land in return for placing an easement on a property.

Dave Nyman, Upper Makefield’s township manager, told the Herald that more than 5,400 acres – nearly 40% of the municipality – is either preserved land or under conservation easement.

“Open space preservation remains a priority with supervisors, however there are very few unpreserved parcels still available in the township,” Nyman noted.

In the upcoming weeks, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) will be collecting traffic count data on roads throughout your municipality. These are the locations we will be counting:

Stoopville Rd Bet Eagle Rd & Linton Hill Rd

DVRPC routinely collects travel volume information in the nine counties comprising the Philadelphia metropolitan area.   Counts are typically collected at the request of your state DOT to fulfill Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) program requirements, at the request of the county planning/engineering office, or in support of planning staff evaluating transportation system performance or improvements. This involves DVRPC staff laying a rubber tube across roadway facilities for approximately 48 hours (to gather daily traffic volumes), mounting video cameras, or manually recording traffic from a vehicle parked near an intersection (to gather turning movement information). These efforts will not interfere with normal traffic operations on these facilities.

We invite you to visit the traffic counting section of our website (https://www.dvrpc.org/webmaps/TrafficCounts/), where all of our traffic count information is available to the public. You will be offered a choice of viewing a map of all of our traffic count locations or searching counts by county, municipality or road name.

The news from Atlanta was shocking, although it shouldn't have been. Hate crimes against Asian Americans have been rising ever since some leaders decided to call COVID-19 a "Chinese virus" - or worse. Between 2019 and 2020, anti- Asian hate crimes reported to police rose by 149%, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

Many incidents don't end in violence so they don't get reported at all. It's reported that 31% of Asian adults in the U.S. say they've faced ethnic slurs or jokes since the beginning of the COVID- 19 pandemic, according to a Pew Research Center survey from July of 2020.

So, what can we in Bucks County do to ensure we're a united community where everyone feels safe and valued? How can we make sure our county thrives not despite but because of our diversity?

First, there's been a lot of discussion lately about what Bucks County schools should teach about diversity, particularly racial and ethnic diversity. Students of color feeling like they are always "othered," dealing with hate-based social media attacks and rarely seeing themselves in the curricula.

Second, we must ensure that everyone in Bucks County feels safe and protected by law enforcement. Equal protection of the law is a bedrock value of American democracy and is essential to thriving as a diverse county.

With sheriff, district attorney and judgeship elections right around the corner, ask the candidates what they will do to ensure equal protection. How will they ensure equal treatment in arrests and bail? Will they advance innovative ways to deal with mental health crises? What is their perspective on use of force, and how can we ensure it is a last resort everywhere in Bucks County?