Newtown’s Tug of War: Developers v. Residents

 

At the September 10, 2025 Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Bradley Cooper, a Newtown Grant resident since 1999, delivered a forceful critique of what he described as a recurring pattern of overdevelopment at the expense of residents in Newtown Township.

Goodnoe Homestead Redevelopment Sparks Alarm

Cooper focused his comments on a new proposal by Jim Worthington to redevelop the Goodnoe Homestead property on Sycamore Street. The plan envisions a large apartment complex with retail businesses at street level—similar in design to mixed-use buildings on State Street in Newtown Borough.

Cooper warned that the project would worsen traffic, destroy open space, and strain infrastructure, all while benefitting developers rather than residents. “A lot of people have come out in opposition towards this because we think there’s overdevelopment,” he said, accusing township supervisors of favoring businesses over the community.

Listen to this “Deep Dive” podcast based on Mr. Cooper’s comments:

A History of Development Battles

His statement connected the Goodnoe Homestead plan to a broader history of controversial projects. Cooper recalled the Wawa proposal on Lower Silver Lake Road, where residents strongly opposed the convenience store and gas pumps, yet the applicant pushed forward aggressively. According to Cooper, a Wawa representative even dismissed local renters as irrelevant to the debate.

He also referenced Toll Brothers projects, which residents have long criticized for their scale and density. In his view, developers often pressure local boards, and township officials rarely show the will to resist. “Every time a big development is proposed, 40, 50, 60 residents turn out to say we don’t want it—and yet the applicant always wins,” Cooper said

Praise for Resident Engagement

While critical of the BOS as a whole, Cooper singled out Supervisor John Mack for praise. Mack is the only official, he noted, who consistently surveys residents to gather feedback on development issues. Despite occasional criticism that the surveys aren’t comprehensive, Cooper said they are the only real forum where community voices are collected and documented.

“Every time a survey is done, the results are clear: people don’t want these large projects,” he argued, underscoring that township leaders should heed those findings rather than developers’ demands

“Developers Don’t Care About Us”

Cooper’s speech ended with a sharp rebuke of outside interests driving change in Newtown. “At the end of the day, these businesses don’t care about us. These developers don’t care about the residents. All they care about is throwing their business into Newtown any way they can—by suing you, by telling you they don’t care about you,” he said

The Larger Tug of War

His remarks frame the Goodnoe Homestead debate as part of a larger tug of war between residents fighting to preserve Newtown’s character and developers eager to profit from its growth potential. With traffic congestion already a daily frustration and open space dwindling, the outcome of this struggle could reshape Newtown’s future for decades to come.

Posted on 14 Sep 2025, 01:23 - Category: Development