Church Hill Commercial Complex—

Wetlands Agency To Review Redevelopment Plan

By Andrew Gorosko

The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) has scheduled a public hearing to review the wetlands/watercourses protection aspects of a proposal to redevelop a Church Hill Road site, including plans to create more than 60,000 square feet of new retail/office space in a multibuilding complex.

The IWC hearing is slated for 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 22, at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

Newtown Savings Bank, which owns 30-32 Church Hill Road, is proposing The Villages at Lexington Gardens for the 6.3-acre site.

Under the proposal, an existing two-story, 16,000-square-foot commercial building at 30 Church Hill Road would have exterior appearance improvements made, including the addition of pitched rooflines and cupolas to the flat-roofed structure.

Also, 60,500 square feet of new retail/office space would be constructed at 32 Church Hill Road in several two-story buildings. Retail space would be created at ground level, with office space located on the second stories.

The structures that formerly served as the Lexington Gardens garden shop/nursery complex at 32 Church Hill Road would be demolished to make way for the new construction.

At the August 22 session, the IWC would review only the wetlands and watercourses protection aspects of the project.

According to the IWC permit application, approximately 480 square feet of wetlands would need to be modified for development. About 770 linear feet of a stream channel would need to be altered. The project would require that about 345 cubic yards of earthen material be removed/deposited in wetlands.

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) is expected to review the redevelopment proposal as the borough’s planning agency when it meets on September 6.

The Borough Zoning Commission has scheduled a September 19 public hearing to consider the zoning aspects of the redevelopment project.