Plan Withdrawn For Homes At The Flagpole

By Steve Bigham

A public hearing of the Borough Historic District was canceled Tuesday night after the applicant made an 11th hour decision to withdraw plans to build two new homes along Main Street.

John and Jane Vouros, owners of a two-acre lot at 29 Main Street, had intended to sell the land to builder Kim Danziger, who had intentions of constructing two large homes there. That plan has apparently been scrapped altogether.

The land was once home to the Yankee Drover Inn, which was destroyed by fire in 1981.

“The Vouroses no longer intend to have houses built there. The application has totally been withdrawn. They’re not just postponing it. I think they decided they’re not going to sell,” explained Stephanie Gaston, chairman of the Borough Historic District Commission.

The Vouroses could not be reached for comment this week.

In a strange twist of events, the Vouros’ home on Taunton Hill Road was sold this past weekend, paving the way for John and Jane to move forward with their original plan to construct a home and an inn on the corner of Main and West streets.

“We’re moving to Main Street, but I don’t know in what capacity yet,” Mr Vouros said Thursday morning.

Mr Danziger of Danziger Homes had planned to purchase the property from the Vouros couple contingent upon their getting all the necessary approvals. The builder intended to construct two homes there that would fit in well with the rest of the historic district. He had even completed architectural renderings of the two homes, one of which appeared in last week’s edition of The Newtown Bee.

This week, Mr Danziger took the sudden change in plans in stride.

“That’s the business. I went into this knowing that was what he wanted to do. This was his dream,” Mr Danziger said.

Since the fire, the lot at 29 Main Street has remained vacant and has been used as a parking lot for the Newtown Meeting House. At one time, Mr and Mrs Vouros had sought to rebuild the Yankee Drover.

Just feet away from the town’s historic flagpole, the land lies at the heart of both the borough and the town of Newtown.