Presentation and Discussion Audio. Agenda: * Sewage Treatment Plant: Environmental Concerns* Proposed Pedestrian Sidewalk Along NT-Yardley Rd* Grant Awarded for Newtown Creek Bridge* Gas Leaf Blower Ban Survey Results* Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Survey* Changes to the 2025 Budget* 11 December 2024 BOS Meeting AgendaPrivilege of the Floor: Open…

Host John Mack in Q&A session with attendees at the October 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

This a recording of the Q&A session at the 16 October 2024 meeting of the Newtown Water & Sewer Authority public meeting. At issue was the 43% rate increase starting in 2026 (read "#NewtownPA Sewer Authority Rates to Increase 43%!"; https://sco.lt/8o4g9A) and the proposed sewage treatment plant down Lower Silver Lake Rd from the Wawa site on the Ne…

At the 29 April 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, several attendees had a lively discussion regarding the proposal to build a drive-thru Chick-fil-A restaurant "on the Bypass" (actually at the northeast corner of the Bypass and Newtown-Yardley Rd diagonally across from the soon-to-be built Wawa).Specifically, the applicant is seeking relief for a…

17 June 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting attendees discuss what's on their minds including:* Tara Blvd crosswalk safety improvements* The possibility of Wawa selling beer 24/7* Problems with the LI/O-LI Overlay proposal* and other issuesVon Mack's Newtown Voice

On April 4, 2024, the #NewtownPA Zoning Hearing Board granted Appeal 1210-24: i.e., Newtown Artesian Water Company (NAWC), requested variances from and a special exception pursuant to the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance of 2006, as amended, specifically Section 404(C) to permit a rear yard setback of 36.46 feet where a minimum of 50 feet is requir…

At the 25 March 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, a resident asked how people were notified about a recent "shelter-in-place" alert in #newtownPA and suggested that residents sign up for Nixle to receive such alerts via text to their cell phones.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

Attendees of the 25 March 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting learn about the problems with the recently installed Lower Dolington Rd trail guiderail. The guiderail needs to be relocated because it was incorrectly installed, but the contractor - Associated Paving - refuses to respond to the township's requests that it do so!…

Attendees of the 25 March 2024 Meeting Mack Monday Zoom meeting weigh in on the proposed replacement of the Washington Crossing Bridge.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

At the 25 March 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, Environmental Advisory Council member Jan Filios discussed the proposed #NewtownPA Roberts Ridge Park meadow conversion plan.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

Barbara Simmons, former Director of the Langhorne Peace Center, and currently a member of the Executive Board, NAACP Bucks County, attended the February 21, 2024, Newtown Human Relations Commission (HRC) meeting.Ms. Simmons informed HRC members of her work on the Bucks County Mural Project, which invites police and community members to paint murals…

This discussion took place at the April 14, 2022, meeting of the Newtown Township Human Relations Commission.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

At the 14 February 2024 #NewtownPA Board of Supervisors public meeting, Mike Fuller, President/Founder of Keystone Lighting Solutions, presented the Final Project Overview for replacing all street lights in town with LED lights.This is an audio recording of the presentation and Q&A session that followed. You can find the presentation here: https://…

On February 6, 2024, BET Investment presented to the #Newtown Planning Commission a revised plan for Newtown Corners, now called “Newtown Place.” The owner seeks a text amendment to the Joint Municipal Zoning Ordinance (JMZO) to allow a “Parking Core Apartment Building” in the TC (Town Center) district of Newtown Township. The current zoning does n…

The Borscht Belt Deli appealed the township’s notice that the neon sign in its window is in violation of the township’s signage ordinance that prohibits “any sign which is illuminated by inert gas or any form of exposed tubes…” (read “Borscht Belt Delicatessen Seeks Variance to Allow Neon Sign in Window”; https://sco.lt/58eUaW). The Newtown Townshi…

Review of Borscht Belt Neon Sign Zoning Hearing, Revitalization of the Human Relations Commission, Multi-Story Apartment Buildings Coming to the Li/OLI District, Residential Trash Pickup, Pedestrian Bridges Survey Update, and more...Von Mack's Newtown Voice

At the 4 January 2024 meeting of the Newtown Township Zoning Hearing Board, the Borscht Belt attorney cited several businesses that he claims have neon signs in their windows such as Acqua e Farina at 50 Richboro Rd.This case was discussed by residents at the 22 January 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting.…

At the January 4, 2024, hearing before the #NewtownPA Zoning Board, Kathleen Donovan, owner of Barks County Dog Grooming testified in defense of her application for a variance to allow the operation of a dog grooming business located in a townhouse unit in Newtown Crossing where such use is not permitted as a Home Occupation or Accessory Office (H-…

Members of the public spoke up at the January 4, 2024, #NewtownPA Zoning Hearing Board regarding Borscht Belt Deli's appeal of a Notice of Violation issued by the township declaring that the neon sign in its window violation the JMZO's zoning ordinance. Read more about this here: https://sco.lt/58eUaW"This is a very troubling situation," Eric Pomer…

As reported in the Newtown Patch: In arguing the township's case before the board, Township Solicitor Dave Sander asked the zoning hearing board to uphold the law and to reject the appeal.“This is a zoning case limited to a sign that is neon that appears in the front window of a business in the township. A complaint was received by the zoning offic…

Several residents made comments prior to the #NewtownPA Board of Supervisors (BOS) 4-1 vote (Kyle Davis voting nay) to approve the Single-Use Plastic Bag ordinance, which will go into effect on April 9, 2023.Speakers include: Bradley Cooper, John D'Aprile, Elaine McCarron, and Elen Snyder.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

At the 21 November 2023 #NewtownPA Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, supervisors approved by 4-1 vote (Kyle Davis voting nay) to advertise the proposed Single-Use Plastics Ban Ordinance (LINK: https://rebrand.ly/PlasticsBan_v6a).The discussion focused on revisions from previous version regarding enforcement and exemptions. It also includ…

This discussion took place during the November 13, 2023, Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting. Supervisor John Mack presented his questions regarding the utility of this bridge to Newtown Township and suggested it would benefit primarily Steeple View residents in the Borough.Newtown Environmental Advisory Board member Jan Filios pointed out the environmen…

At the 17 October 2023 meeting of the #NewtownPA Planning Commission (PC), members failed to agree unanimously to recommend approval of certain aspects of Capital Grille's signage plan.Specifically, some members had problems with the huge 13ft 4" by 6ft 0" (80 square ft) sign that Capital Grille proposes to affix to the rear facade of the building …

At the 17 October 2023 #NewtownPA Planning Commission (PC) meeting, I spoke up about my concerns regarding the O-LI/LI ("Business Commons") Overly Plan. Find the plan here: The PC - working with Bucks Planning Commission (BCPC) experts - is near to finalizing the Plan to recommend to the Board of Supervisors (BOS).Before this comes to a vote by the…

This 30-minute discussion was recorded at the 16 October Meet Mack Monday (MMM) Zoom meeting, which focused on the draft 2024 #NewtownPA budget.See the video presentation that was made prior to the discussion: https://youtu.be/arT6ui-fx2M MMM attendees commented on the proposed tax increase, road program, and other aspects of the budget. One reside…

Mary Donaldson - a member of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) - discusses how an Overlay to the LI and OLI zoning districts would allow for additional uses that are currently not permitted. Her comments were made at the September 21, 2021, EDC public meeting.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

This is my complete recording of the first 80 minutes or so of the meeting - I had to leave early. Mr. Hanney offered a more detailed summary of PennDOT's rationale for the above position in a September 16, 2021, letter sent to the Township and participants (https://bit.ly/PennDOTresponseLtr). The letter responds to the community's concerns and cla…

The 75-minute audio recording of the September 20, 2021, Meet Mack Monday meeting (via Zoom). The major issue discussed was the Toll Bros proposed settlement. For links to resources relevant to this, see my meeting notes: https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/mmm20sep2021.htmlVon Mack's Newtown Voice

Lisa Wolff Reviews 2020 Census Jointure Race DataVon Mack's Newtown Voice

Lisa Wolff Reviews Change in Jointure PopulationVon Mack's Newtown Voice

Lisa Wolff Reviews Jointure Population TrendVon Mack's Newtown Voice

Lisa Wolff Reviews 2020 Census Data on Jointure HousingVon Mack's Newtown Voice

At the 18 Sept 2023, #NewtownPA BOS meeting, Supervisor John Mack secured his right to hear and judge the evidence provided by KRE Upper Macungie Associates, LLC (“Applicant”) in its challenge to Newtown's zoning. During the hearing, Mr. Mack asked the applicant's expert witness - Town Planner Thomas J. Comitta - to clarify remarks he made in his t…

This is an edited recording of the discussion I had with residents who attended the 11 September 2023 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting.Among the topics discussed were;(1) Lower Dolington Road Trail problems identified by residents and by the township engineering firm, and(2) The proposed plan to amend the zoning to allow the development of a 120-unit …

At the September 6, 2023, Newtown Borough Council Meeting, Mr. Warren Gormley - executive director of the Newtown, Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority - informed Council members that the Authority is investigating the possibility of acquiring land and building its own sewage treatment plant in Newtown Township.The Authority is looking into the f…

Attorney Joel Winston, Cohen Law Group (CLG), answers questions about the draft Wireless Communications ordinance [https://bit.ly/v1_DraftWirelessJMZOordinance] his firm developed for #NewtownPA Area Joint Zoning Council (JZC). The Q&A session was held on July 6, 2023, meeting of the JZC.At CLG, Mr. Winston defends local governments from cable and …

At the June 14, 2023, #Newtown PA Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, resident Tom Crawford, Esq. chastised the Board for refusing to disclose the terms of the “secret” settlement deal with WAWA before voting. "I just think that that is grossly unfair and entirely contradictory to your obligations." He asked the BOS to defer the vote until the publ…

At the 22 May 2023 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, residents discussed the pros and cons of reducing speed limits to improve pedestrian safety.The discussion focused on Newtown-Yardley Rd between Lower Dolington Rd (LDR) and Washington Ave in the Borough and LDR along the soon-(hopefully)-to-be-completed multi-use trail.Should pedestrians just jump …

At the 22 May 2023 Meet Mack Zoom meeting [https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/22may23mmm.html#grille], participants had a lively discussion of the impact that a proposed Capital Grille would have on parking in the Newtown Village (aka Brixmor) shopping center.Should the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) oppose this plan?Before that decision is made,…

Participants at the 22 May 2023 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting discussed Deluca Construction's plan is to build two single-family homes on 3.08 acres whereas Newtown's Conservation Management (CM) District permits only one house on 3 acres. The developer must seek zoning variances from the Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB), but the company's solicitor will…

Participants in the 22 May 2023 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting talked trash.It began with a seemingly simple question: "Should Newtown Township contract with one trash company for savings, efficiency, less noise and pollution?"It quickly moved on to how some homeowners associations have taken matters into their own hands to reduce costs and reduce n…

This proposed amendment addresses all types of signage including billboards, both on and off-premises. On May 2, 2023, the Newtown Township Planning Commission tabled discussion to review some research done by previous Planning Commissions.Von Mack's Newtown Voice

At the April 27, 2023, Bucks County Tax Collection Committee meeting, the discussion focused on the Sterling Act and passing a resolution to formally request the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Senators and Representatives of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania to amend the Sterling Act and require that an amount of up to one …

At the April 24, 2023, Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, Cindy Neutson expressed concern about speeding and pedestrian safety on Lower Dolington Road (LDR), especially along Roberts Ridge Park. Frank McCarron suggested that the speed limit be reduced to 25 MPH as it was on Newtown-Yardley Rd and Sycamore St.I am not against this idea but I suggested t…

At the April 24, 2023, Meet Mack Zoom meeting, a resident ("John") whose home is located in the Conservation District (CM) off of Twining Bridge Road, opposed the plan by Deluca Construction, which is seeking to subdivide a 3.08 acre parcel at 70 Twining Bridge Rd into two lots for single family homes whereas the CM District permits only one home o…

At the April 24, 2023, Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, Newtown Township resident Frank McCarron criticized the comments made by McCaffrey's VP of Operations at the April 3, 2023, Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) meeting (LINK: https://bit.ly/McCaffrey_v_PlasticsBan). At issue was the proposed single-use plastics ban that the EACH introduced at t…

At the April 3, 2023, Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) public meeting, McCaffrey's Markets VP of Operations suggested that Newtown Township wait for legislation at the state level before enacting its own version of a single-use plastics ban. She suggested the passage of such legislation might happen by the end of the year.The McCaffrey's repres…

On April 3, 2023, the Newtown Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) held a special public meeting to discuss a proposal to ban certain single-use plastics at township retail and restaurant establishments. During the meeting, Faran Savitz, Zero Waste Advocate, Penn Environment, made a presentation that summarized the environmental and health…

At the February 20, 2023, Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, a resident was concerned about pedestrian at the crosswalk located at Lower Dolington Rd and Beasley Dr. She suggested that the speed limit be reduced to 25 MPH to make it safer for pedestrians. This is a 3-minute audio snippet of that discussion.…