Newtown BOS Rejects Chick-fil-A/Old Navy Settlement Agreement

At it's January 13, 2021, public meeting, the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted 3-2 against agreeing to a settlement with Newtown Bucks Association (NBA) regarding Chick-fil-A and a "retail pad" in the Newtown Shopping Center. Supervisors Phil Calabro and Dennis Fisher voted in favor of the agreement, while David Oxley, John Mack and Kyle Davis voted against it.

NBA intended to make certain traffic/circulation improvements as related to the existing Chick-fil-A restaurant in the Shopping Center, together with a proposed pad that would be used for additional retail space (i.e., proposed Old Navy site).

The agreement would have granted several variances, including allowing additional impervious surface for the retail space, which was the main reason the Zoning Hearing Board originally voted against the application (read "So what's the status of the proposed Old Navy at the Newtown Shopping Center?").The BOS, however, seemed mostly concerned about the plan to "improve" traffic related to Chick-fil-A.

This following audio clip from the meeting mainly focuses in on that discussion. View the video archive of the entire BOS meeting here.

The applicant (NBA), IMHO, could have avoided this by submitting 2 separate applications. The ZHB would have approved the Chick-fil-A application and denied the "retail pad" application and this settlement would never have come before the BOS to vote on - always an unknown factor.

I'm in favor of any improvement to the Chick-fil-A, but the current plan may not be enough to alleviate the traffic flow problem. As far as the “retail” space, I am aware that many residents are not in favor of an old-fashioned box store like Old Navy and would prefer a more high-end store that cannot be found elsewhere (see my survey results).

Related Content:

• “Proposed Old Navy In Newtown Hits Another Roadblock”
• “Survey Says Newtown Area Residents Oppose Old Navy Box Store”; http://bit.ly/ONChicSurvey
• “Newtown Township Supervisors Vote Not to Oppose Zoning Relief for Chick-fil-A & New Old Navy Store in Newtown Shopping Center, But...”; http://sco.lt/7C16n2
• “Planning Commission Supports Improvements to Access to Chick-fil-A and Addition of Old Navy to Newtown Shopping Center”; http://sco.lt/9LQJSi
• Listen to the presentation by representatives of the shopping Center and Chick-fil-A at the January 21, 2020, Planning Commission meeting: http://bit.ly/2uxjN2B