Summary of 25 September 2024 BOS Meeting
This is my personal summary of the September 25, 2024, meeting of the #NewtownPA Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.
Access the 2024 BOS Chronicle for detailed summaries of all 2024 BOS meetings to date. Also, access the (UNOFFICIAL) 2024 BOS Voting Record.
Agenda Items, Discussions, Decisions, and More
- Minor Approvals
- Reports of Committees
- Newtown Planning Commission
- Reports of Officials
- Engineer’s Report
- Solicitor’s Report
- Other Items of Interest
Historical Architectural Reviews Board (HARB)
Revive Hive, 250-254 N. Sycamore Street – COA for sign
At its September 11, 2024 meeting, the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors grant a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) to Revive Hive for replacement signage in flat black with raised white lettering. The PVC board is to have wood texture.
BOS OK’ed this COA.
NOTE: The application also includes a similar sign at the rear parking lot entrance to the building. This is in compliance with Section 1106(H)(4)(A) of the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance (JMZO), which states "No more than one sign shall be erected for any establishment unless such establishment has a facade and/or an entrance on more than one street, common parking area, or pedestrian way, in which event, one sign may be erected on each street, common parking area or pedestrian way upon which the individual establishment has a facade and/or an entrance." For more about the “selective enforcement” of this ordinance, see the 23 September 2024 Meet Mack Monday presentation video.
Planning Commission
ZHB: Tyler Roucroft, 73 Richboro Road
The applicant is seeking an increase in impervious surface to 26.81% where 13% is the maximum and 15.34% is the existing, a side yard setback of14 feet where 20 feet is required and a special exception to build an addition on a nonconforming lot to create main floor in-law suite with full bath for an aging parent and to create a circular driveway for the parent to park her car and avoid backing out onto Richboro Road.
The Commission had concerns about the large increase in impervious surface, as the plans did not show any stormwater run-off mitigation. We urged the applicant to present the Zoning Hearing Board with more detailed plans with more accurate measurements for the addition/driveway. We recommend that the Supervisors not oppose the plan but that any stormwater management be completed to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer.
HARB and Joint Historic Commission
In other business, the Commission briefly discussed a matter of concern to both HARB and Joint Historic Commission, that we have no way to protect our historic structures that are not already part of the historic district or in one of the designated historic villages. It is our understanding that Newtown Borough and Upper Makefield have also been researching this.
COMMENT: I asked Ms. Driscoll – Chair of the Planning Commission – about this noting that Megan McNish, Eastern Region Community Preservation Coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), recently gave a presentation to Newtown Borough Council members. I suggested the PC invite her to make do the same at a PC meeting. Ms. Driscoll agreed to do that.
Related Content:
- A “Major” Historic Resource Re-Discovered!
- Preservation and Regulatory Strategies to Maintain Community Character
Engineer's Report
Silo Dr/N Sycamore St Pedestrian Upgrade
[Please see page 87 of the 2024 BOS Chronicle for more details.]
According to a recent email from Mr. Lewis, PennDOT is requiring RVE to submit additional supplemental information that is “above & beyond the requirements for a Signal Permit.” This involves the diagonal ADA ramps at this intersection (see image below from PennDOT’s comment document; also read "ADA Compliant Diagonal Curb Ramps" for an explaamation of what PennDOT is looking for). Mr. Cundari – Township Engineer – said “PennDOT is seeking additional information regarding the ADA compliant curb ramps. They are now seeking Technically Infeasible Forms (TIF) due to the existing diagonal ramps to provide reasoning why they are necessary.”
Also see “ADA Compliant Diagonal Curb Ramps”
I asked Mr. Cundari to clarify the situation with the understanding that PennDOT has not yet issued a permit for this upgrade and without that we cannot begin construction. Prior to the meeting, Mr. Cundari informed supervisors that “The issue is that the existing diagonal ramp is not the preferred design, but we have made it clear to PennDOT that relocating ramps and crosswalks would increase the cost dramatically and would not fit within the ARLE funding.”
My questions:
- Please explain what PennDOT is looking for?
- What impact will this have on awarding bids for this and the Tara Blvd crosswalk, which already has a permit for the upgrade?
View the discussion in the following video snippet from the meeting (sorry for the poor sound quality; for more on that read "Newtown's Youtube Video Problems: Resolved???"):
Solicitor’s Report
[Please see page 88 of the 2024 BOS Chronicle for more details.]
The BOS – by a 4-0 vote – authorized the Township Solicitor to draft an intergovernmental agreement with Newtown Borough for fire services and a resolution approving the agreement
No specific details of the agreement was discussed. At the 11 September 2024 BOS meeting “Ms. Snyder stated there was an agreement with the Borough for 2025 for approximately $192,000.00.”
At a recent budget meeting I attended, it was mentioned that the Borough does not pay its fair share. I agreed, noting that was my opinion of the previous 2022 agreement. Back in 2022, the Township sought $300,000 from the Borough and got less than half that!
ZHB: Large Impervious Surface Increase!
The applicant (Tyler Roucroft, 73 Richboro Road) is seeking an increase in impervious surface to 26.81% where 13% is the maximum and 15.34% is the existing impervious surface (see more details above).
At almost every BOS meeting we see an application for increasing the impervious surface above the maximum permissible. In this case, the requested 26.81% is MORE THAN TWICE the maximum allowed impervious surface. The PC recommended that the BOS take no action regarding this application, BUT is it possible to send the ZHB a note stating: “The BOS is concerned about impervious surface increases throughout the township – granting this application, for example, would increase the impervious surface to a level MORE THAN TWICE the maximum allowed impervious surface?” I’ve asked this in other cases but the Board decided not to send such message to the ZHB.
The BOS approved a motion for the Township Solicitor to send a letter to the ZHB as described above.
My Detailed Notes
See pages 86-89 of the 2024 BOS Chronicle (PDF) for more detailed notes regarding this meeting.
Official Video
Transcript
Download the time-stamped transcript of this meeting prepared by Youtube from the video: download PDF document.
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