Liberty Center Developer To Unveil "Markedly Different" Plan At Newtown Meeting

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — The Newtown Borough Council is scheduled to hear updated plans for the Liberty Center redevelopment project at its next meeting on Tuesday.

A councilor tells Patch that businessman Jim Worthington and his team of professionals will unveil plans at the 7 p.m. meeting that are “markedly different” from those presented earlier this year.

In March, Worthington, the owner of the Newtown Athletic Club, presented sketch plans for a major residential project, proposing to redevelop nine acres in the heart of town with four multi-story residential buildings that would house 124 living unit. The plan also called for the creation of an outdoor public gathering space and a walkway along the creek.

The nine-acre site stretches south from Centre Avenue along the Newtown Creek to behind the Wine & Spirits store and includes the former beer store, which would be demolished as part of the redevelopment.

After hearing the plan in March, Council voiced concern over the residential-only nature of the project and said it would rather see some type of mixed use integrated into the plan that would better activate the space with the State Street business district and the community.

Council also expressed reservations over the size of the four residential buildings being proposed.

Since April, a subcommittee of council has been meeting privately with the developer to see if it could reach a compromise that would better integrate the new development into the downtown. The council later retained a professional consultant to help guide it through the process.

“The plans are markedly different from what has been presented in the past,” a councilor tells Patch.

The former wine and spirits store will be demolished to make way for part of the project. The building is one of the few remaining A&P buildings still standing. A&P was the largest U.S. grocery retailer from 1915 to 1975 before a long, steady decline. Its stores had the iconic cupola, weather vane, and A-frame front, which once held the store's signature red-and-yellow logo. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Background

Worthington acquired the property from developer Allan Smith in early 2025 after Smith approached Worthington with an offer to sell.

Smith had secured plan approvals for Steeple View, a mixed use project that included up to seven multi-story buildings with apartments on the upper floors and retail and restaurant uses at street level.

Since acquiring the land and after talking with key stakeholders, Worthington said he dropped the retail and restaurant uses from the plan, reducing the project’s overall traffic impact by 1700 trips per week, or 85,000 a year.

“We heard it time and time again - too much traffic. We addressed that,” said Worthington.

What he proposed keeping from Smith’s original plan is a proposed walkway along the Newtown Creek and an outdoor public plaza, which he is proposing to triple in size from 5,000 to 15,000 square feet.

“The outside spaces are the ones I am most interested in,” said Worthington. “To me, this could become the center of the town. The town square I’m proposing would enhance the town to the next level.

“We took the 5,000-square-foot plaza and we’ve tripled the size of it. We want it to be a real town center.”

The proposed creek walk would also be enhanced from Smith’s original vision, said Worthington in March.

“We want it more like a promenade. Not big, but something more grand with beautiful lighting, a landscaped trail and benches that would be leading from Centre Avenue up to the Chandler Hall ballfields with a bridge across the creek.”

If You Go

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Chancellor Center, 30 North Chancellor Street. The presentation by Worthington will be part of council’s regular monthly business meeting.

The meeting will also be livestreamed for viewing on Newtown Borough's YouTube channel. To participate in public comment, in-person attendance is required.