July 2023 #NewtownPA Police Incidents Report

A lot has been happening over the summer that you may have missed. And a lot is coming up before the Board of Supervisors this fall.

RSVP to let me know what issues should be covered (see below for possible discussion topics). Upon completion of the RSVP form you will be shown the login information. Even if you cannot attend, I will send you links to the discussion and background information.

• LI/O-LI Overlay Zoning Update
• Why the Wawa Delay?
• Plan for Sewage Treatment Plant Moves Forward
• Pedestrian Crosswalks Improvement Update
• Another Unsafe Crosswalk
• Business Signage Ordinance
• 2025 Budget Being Planned
• “Pollinator Garden” Community Planting Event
• Proposed Murals Ordinance
• Mack’s Standup Comedy Skit
• Privilege of the Floor – What’s on Your Mind?

More...

This is my personal summary of the September 11, 2024, meeting of the #NewtownPA Township Board of Supervisors.

Residents Get No Response from Zoning Office, Supervisor Mack Welcomes Blue Dawgs, Proposed Mural Ordinance, Business Signage Ordinance, Pedestrian Crossings Bids Update, August 2024 Police Report, more…

The plan was outlined in the PennDOT “Flashing Warning Device Permit” for this pedestrian crossing upgrade.

More details on how the RRFBs will operate...

Newtown township's population is currently declining at a rate of -0.23% annually and its population has decreased by -1.11% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 19,875 in 2020.

The average household income in Newtown township is $180,890 with a poverty rate of 3.73%. The median age in Newtown township is 45.3 years: 42.3 years for males, and 47.7 years for females.

Newtown township Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Newtown township was:

• White: 78.16%
• Asian: 10.23%
• Two or more races: 7.59%
• Black or African American: 2.44%
• Other race: 1.55%
• Native American: 0.04%
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%

The race most likely to be in poverty in Newtown township is Black, with 7.1% below the poverty level.

Much more data here...

[The following appeared in the September 6, 2024, issue of the Bucks County Courier Times. For more information about these projects, see Tara Blvd Crosswalk Improvement Timeline and North Sycamore Street Pedestrian Safety Timeline.]

Bids To Be Opened on 27 September 2024

Newtown Township, Bucks County, will utilize electronic bidding to receive sealed bids for the Newtown Township Pedestrian Upgrades project. Sealed bids m u s t be submitted online through the PennBid electronic procurement program prior to September 27, 2024 at 10:00 AM EST, at which time they will be opened and read aloud at the offices of Remington and Vernick Engineers at 1010 Stony Hill Road, Suite 175, Yardley, PA 19067.

More...

This is my personal summery of the 14 August 2024 BOS meeting.

LI/O-LI Overlay sent to Jointure with “Use-by-Right” language – may be modified to "conditional use" later, Business Commons sidewalk project delayed, Silo Dr vs Tara Blvd crosswalk project bid procedure, July 2024 Police Report, more…

Local governments of all sizes require committed leaders and staff to keep their communities running smoothly, but problems can arise when they don’t have the right people to do the job.

When city, township, or borough elected officials cannot effectively serve, residents are left with few options.

Spotlight PA Local Accountability Reporter Min Xian spoke with a panel of experts about the challenges local governments face in finding and retaining dedicated elected officials and the impacts those people have on residents’ lives.

Pennsylvania’s more than 2,500 municipalities require about 12,000 elected officials. A 2021 survey of nearly 900 of them found that about half ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections. It is also common for officials to vacate their positions before the end of their terms.

Laws addressing higher pay for municipal officials were enacted this year... This will allow public servants to be better paid for the time commitment required of their positions. More people from different backgrounds might be better able to participate in local office because of this change.

More...

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) voted to suspend and investigate a proposed rate increase by Newtown Artesian Water Company for water service.

According to the PUC: “Investigation and analysis of this proposed tariff supplement and the supporting data indicates that the proposed changes in rates, rules, and regulations may be unlawful, unjust, unreasonable, and contrary to public interest. It also appears that consideration should be given to the reasonableness of Newtown’s existing rates, rules, and regulations.”

The Commission voted 5-0 to investigate Newtown Artesian’s proposal to increase its annual revenues by $922,419 (14.1%).  Under the company’s proposal, a typical metered residential customer water bill would increase from $106.45 to $121.23 (13.9%).  Additionally, Newtown Artesian proposes an increase in the fixed customer charge for residential customers from $22.71 to $26.90 per quarter (18.5%).

The rate increase request is now suspended and will be assigned to the PUC’s Office of Administrative Law Judge for investigation and a recommended decision.

May 2024 #NewtownPA Area Jointure Comprehensive Plan Released. It took about 5 years for the 3 members of the "Jointure" (Newtown, Wrightstown, and Upper Makefield) to finish with the help of the Bucks County Planning Commission... Now the final Plan (with resolutions included) has been released for publication.

Find it here...

On August 22, 2024, I and several other students of an Unscripted Productions stand-up comedy class held a "graduation" session at the Comedy Club above Poco's restaurant in Doylestown PA.

This is a video of my act. You can also see the Youtube version of my skit here: https://youtu.be/KA2piKnWRIc

UPDATE (6 Sep 2024): The Joint Zoning Council approved this "use by right" amendment to the JMZO.

At the 14 August 2024 Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Mack had a few questions about the OL-I/LI Overlay Zoning plan developed by the Bucks County Planning Commission. Specifically:

* Residential Density
* Inconsistency with Comprehensive Plan

Lisa Wolf and Jeremy Stoff of the BCPC were there and answered my questions, although NOT to my satisfaction.

In the end, the BOS approved 3-1 (Mack voting nay) sending the amendment – with “use by right” language, which bypasses approval by the BOS, for mixed use apartment buildings to the Jointure. Following that, the BOS voted 4-0 to approve sending the revised amendment – with “conditional use” language, requiring BOS approval – to the Jointure for approval. This means that the first version will be in effect while the revised version works its way through the Jointure for approval. How long that will take is debatable as Wrightstown and Upper Makefield Planning Commissions must review the revision and make recommendations to their Boards who will then vote on it and send to the Jointure for approval. This could take several months during which time developers can come in and propose projects under the “use by right” provisions.

Newtown Borough Backs Away From Permitting Food Trucks On State Street - Newtown, PA - Council will not move forward with an ordinance change allowing businesses to host a food truck in front of their establishment.

More...

Flourish Café, 2819 S. Eagle Road: a proposed E-5 and E- 6 (Eating Place and Eating Place - Drive-In Restaurant). The uses are permitted as conditional uses as part of a Shopping Center Use (E-15) in the PC - Planned Commercial Zoning District. The property is to be located at the former KO restaurant location in the Village at Newtown Shopping Center (Brixmor Development) on Lot No. 4 The proposed ‘European Style” restaurant will occupy approximately 3,210 square feet.

Love and Honey Fried Chicken, 2820 S. Eagle Road: a proposed E-5 and E-6 Uses (Eating Place and Eating Place - Drive-In Restaurant). The application describes it as an “EAT IN RESTAURANT.” The uses are permitted as conditional uses as part of a Shopping Center Use (E-15) ni the PC - Planned Commercial Zoning District. The property is to be located at 2820 South Eagle Road ni the Village at Newtown Shopping Center (Brixmor Development) on Lot No. 2. The proposed restaurant will occupy approximately 1,636 square feet. 

Rick g. - a Newtown Township resident - was “hoping the berm would obstruct the view from the bypass to help preserve the rural ‘ambience’ along most of the bypass. The berm across the street looks like it's 4-5’ higher and obstructs the view of the church.”

I decided to see for myself what was going on with the berm by driving by the site with video rolling. I posted what I saw on Youtube (view it here..). To date (29 July 2024) the video has been viewed more than 1,900 times!

More comments, questions, and answers...

A trip to the gas station typically can cost between $30 and $60, but over 30 drivers in the Richboro area are now facing price tags of upwards of $4,000.

One driver affected is 17-year-old Connor Lenahan who told NBC10 that it was a normal Thursday when he filled his tank at the station on the 800 block of Second Street Pike.

It was Friday morning when he noticed something was wrong.

"I went to start my car but it wouldn’t start, it took like three or four attempts to start and when I did get it on, it was very very jittery and it was having some problems accelerating," Lenahan said.

After taking his car to the mechanic, he was told the issue was bad gasoline. His mother took to social media asking if anyone else experienced the same issue. "She ended up getting around 35 people that reached out with the same problem," Lenahan explained.

A new study by economists from West Virginia University (WVU) has found hot spots of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” in United States public water systems, including in higher-income, densely populated areas, as well as those that use groundwater.

At least four PFAS contamination hot spots were identified in the eastern U.S. by Levan Elbakidze, a resource economics and management professor at WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Nabin Khanal, a doctoral student, a press release from WVU said.

The hot spots identified cover 10 states and 149 counties. The hot spot with the greatest number of counties spans across Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. A second spans New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and Connecticut. The third largest hot spot sits on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, and the smallest is in Colorado.

“Ninety-five percent of US adolescents and adults are exposed to PFAS, primarily through drinking water. Between 16 and 270 million people in the US rely on PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Therefore, it is important to understand the incidence and distribution of PFAS in public water systems,” the authors wrote in the study.

There are more than 9,000 PFAS, a group of synthetic chemicals known to cause serious health issues like heart and thyroid disease, cancer and infertility. The hazardous substances are found in many common products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing and firefighting foam. They are also used in industrial processes because of their resistance to heat, water, grease and stains.

Previously, there was a ten (10') foot embankment at the Bypass line of Wawa's Property. The plan is to cut that embankment to approximately four (4') to five (5') feet high. The berm has to be cut down in order to provide visibility ..." LINK: https://johnmacknewtown.info/blog/?viewDetailed=202111061001

This video taken on 22 July 2024 shows the progress to date regarding remaking the berm, which now seems covered in hay to protect seed planting for creation of a grassy berm (aka "Newtown Grassy Knoll").

From the plans, it appears to me that the tallest plantings along this berm are only 2-4 feet in height - shrubs really, not trees. In any case, they will not obscure the signage on the roof and the fuel pumps. It is clear that with the planned elimination of the berm along the Bypass and Lower Silver Lake Road, that the building sign and gas pump canopy will be clearly visible. See https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/zhbwawarnd2.html

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Summer 2024 Issue of News of Interest: 

• The "Dolington Deep Ditch" Must Be Repaired! Just Sayin'...
• Crosswalk Public Comments at BOS Meeting
• 17 June 2024 Meet Mack Monday Discussion
• 100-Unit Apartment Complex Proposal: What’s Next?
• Summary of the 10 July 2024 #NewtownPA BOS Meeting
• 2024 Road Paving Program Schedule

Read the online version: https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/sum24noi.html

At the July 10, 2024, Newtown Twp Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Middletown resident Karla Jones requested that Newtown collaborate with Middletown Township and PennDOT to complete the required work to create safe pedestrian walkways to and from Langhorne and Newtown.

It is likely that this would require a traffic study. BOS Chair Dennis Fisher suggested that "maybe this is something the Planning Commission could look at." See the meeting summary here for details...

Meanwhile traffic was a topic of discussion at the July 16, 2024, Newtown Planning Commission (NTPC) meeting.

At that meeting, NTPC member Terry M. Christensen "voiced the concern that the traffic studies that we see are too tightly focused. For example, the Stony Meadows development near George School will have 159 new residences. Many of these folks will most likely do the bulk of their shopping at Summit Square. However, given the distance and rush-hour congestion on 413, it seems highly likely that these folks will use the bypass to get to I-95. That circumstance will have (in my view) a significant impact on the traffic flow on the bypass. Nonetheless, those numbers were never considered in the Wawa traffic study. 

Water rates in Middletown, Newtown Borough and Newtown Township could increase by almost 14% in September if a request is approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The potential rate increase requested by the Newtown Artesian Water Company could take effect on Sept. 18, increasing the typical residential ratepayer’s quarterly bill from about $106.45 to $121.23, approximately $14.78 higher [a 14% increase], according to a news release from the water supplier.

The rate increases are expected to generate about $922,419* in new revenue annually, the release states. Customers can contact Newtown Artesian for further information or about what actions they may take by calling 215-968-6781.

Using U.S. Census Bureau data and other information, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania projects that Pennsylvania's population will remain relatively stagnant by the middle of the century, growing just 1.6%, or by more than 200,000 people — about enough to fill Penn State's Beaver Stadium twice over.

In all, 21 counties will grow and 46 will shrink in population, with 10 counties among them seeing little change in either direction.

Eight of the 10 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania — Philadelphia and its collar counties — will grow, with the exception of Bucks and Northampton counties.