Newtown Artesian scraps plan to build pumping station

NEWTOWN – The Newtown Artesian Water Co. has withdrawn its application before township zoning officials to construct a 288,000 gallon-a-day pumping station on private property along NewtownWashington Crossing Road (Route 532) near Eldridge Road.

At the regularly scheduled Sept. 6 Zoning Hearing Board meeting, board solicitor -ames Auchinleck announced that the utility “withdrew its application [for zoning variances] and asked for its money back.”

All indications are that the water company has decided to look elsewhere for a comparable site to construct a pumping station to meet the area’s growing water demand.

According to the utility, a new well will hold the cost of water down and make it less expensive than what it would be if it bought water from third parties.

The project had sparked the ire of Newtown supervisors, who in -uly voted unanimously to formally oppose Newtown Artesian’s request before the Zoning Hearing Board for variances to construct a pumping station within the Conservation Management (CM) zoning district in the township’s northeast section.

The company needed the waivers for a 30 by 22 foot building on CM-zoned land across from the Greystone Manor House catering hall. The well would have been built on private property owned by the Tanner Lawn and Snow store.

At its -uly 25 meeting, the supervisors said they were reluctant to support the four zoning variances that the utility requested in order to have the new well on line by next spring.

While the township could not legally prohibit Newtown Artesian from drilling a new well, the company had been seeking the supervisors’ unofficial backing to proceed with its zoning variances and land development waivers.

But the supervisors had questioned the company’s request to use only 2.5 acres in the CM District, instead of the required 10acre minimum.

“I’m concerned with variances in the CM district,” Supervisor Rob Ciervo told Newtown Artesian representatives who attended the -uly meeting.

The proposed pumping station had received approval from the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) and the state, but needed the township variances to start construction.

In addition to a variance for the required minimum lot size, the utility also had been seeking three other land-use variances.

Instead of the required two-acre envelope around the proposed building, the company wanted an .8-acre envelope because of the pumping station’s small size. Newtown Artesian also had requested a 99.5foot setback, instead of the 200 -foot setback required on CM-zoned land.

And the utility had wanted a variance from the required 50-foot planted visual buffer around the site.

The extent of the waivers appeared to have solidified the supervisors’ opposition to the location, as did the possible effect on the groundwater supplies of nearby homes.

The location of the site concerned many area residents who publicly had spoken out against the project, despite the utility’s claim that no area groundwater wells would be affected.

According to the company, a new well is needed to supplement the five current wells and two outside water suppliers, including the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, that Newtown Artesian now uses.

The locally-based utility, which was incorporated in 1888, serves Newtown Borough, as well as Newtown Township and the northern part of Middletown Township.

In other action at Thursday night’s Zoning Hearing Board meeting, in a 3-0 vote the board approved the Rothman Institute’s variance request to place two 54-square-foot signs with lights on the roof of its building facing South Eagle Road in the sillage of Newtown Shopping Center. The waiver only applies to medical-use facilities.

The Institute need the approval for the non-conforming use in the Planned Commercial (PC) Zoning District.

The zoning board said that the lights for the rooftop signs must be turned off no later than 7:30 p.m. and can be only be used on weekdays. In addition, the board approved the installation of three 8.5-square foot directional signs on the property.

The use of lit or unlit advertising signs in the buildings’ windows are also prohibited.

The Rothman Institute, which operates a network of 19 orthopedic care centers through the Delaware salley, plans to open the Newtown facility in December. It will be housed in a long vacant two-story medical office building next to the ACE hardware store.

When the building is fully occupied, between six and eight physicians will be assisted by a staff of about 25 employees. The Newtown office plans to have 10 exam rooms, expanding to 18 once operations increase.

The next regularlyscheduled Zoning Hearing Board meeting is Oct. 4.