Supervisors Deadlock Over Plans For Bagel Store At The Village At Newtown

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Plans to open a Spread Bagelry at the Village at Newtown Shopping Center hit a snag Wednesday night when the board of supervisors deadlocked on a conditional use vote.

With one supervisor absent, the five-member board came up short, deadlocking 2 to 2 on the conditional use request that would have allowed the Philadelphia-based wood-fired bagel chain to set up shop at the site of the Five Guys eatery.

Supervisor Kyle Davis and Melissa Merk voted against the motion, while Elen Snyder and chairman Ed Merriman voted in favor. Supervisor Phil Calabro was absent.

The supervisors will vote again at their next meeting when Calabro will be called upon to break the deadlock and to approve or deny the request.

The vote came after a brief overview of the conditional use request by land use attorney Joe Blackburn and a plea from the owner of Newtown Bagel Company to deny the request.

Chris Meyers, whose family owns the 25-year-old bagel shop on Swamp Road less than a mile from the Village at Newtown Shopping Center, called on the supervisors to show their support for the local business owner and reject the conditional use.

“There’s already a ton of options for our residents. I ask that you deny this application and show the community that we mean it when we say shop small, shop local,” he said.

“We’re a family-owned and operated business. We’ve been in the community for 25 years,” said Meyers. “We’ve always been involved with the community supporting projects such as Shop With A Cop and the Newtown Fire Association. For many of the youth in the community, we are their first job.”

In addition to denying the conditional use request, Meyer’s called on the supervisors to adopt an ordinance that puts into place protections for locally owned businesses from the continued expansion of private equity and chains.

"I don’t mind competing in quality with anyone, but companies like this have much larger budgets to expand their footprint," he said. “I’m not talking about franchises that are locally owned. I’m speaking about corporate ownership that is located nowhere near Newtown that likes our zip code and demographics and has no problem shuttering or significantly impacting the small businesses that support and employ people in our community.”

Blackburn defended the application, arguing that the Bagelry is a permitted use at the shopping center and does not adversely impact the health, safety, and welfare of the community, the three parameters set forth for the denial of a conditional use.

“It’s pretty clear that the objection is to the menu offering," said Blackburn. "There was no objection when it was Five Guys. There was no objection when it was Salad Works. This is purely a commentary against contemplated competition,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think the residents of Newtown should be devoid of selection."

Matthew Ambrosine, the finance director for Spread Bagelry, a Philadelphia-based company with 17 locations including 15 in the greater Philadelphia area, said the company is trying to "expand and grow just like any other business would want to do. We have an opportunity here. We see a lot of potential in the space and in the use."

Where Ambrosine sees potential, Supervisor Melissa Merk sees significant parking and safety concerns at that corner of the shopping center.

"When I had children at Council Rock High School, I drove through that parking lot to drop them off at school, and it's a nightmare," said Merk. "Parking for Starbucks is probably insufficient. The line using the drive-through at Starbucks creates a significant bottleneck right where this breakfast facility is going to go."

She continued, "I can foresee high school students parking their cars by the bank and across from Oishi and running across the street to get a bagel and then running back while everyone is getting in line for Starbucks. I have significant concerns about a 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. operation. That's when it's most congested in that area of the shopping center."

Blackburn admitted the site is constrained by the existing parking field, but noted that the layout was approved by the township years ago and Spread Bagelry would be taking over an existing E5 restaurant use in the shopping center.

"I would suggest there are no grounds on which this can be denied," he argued. "It is a permitted use. It is within the objective criteria that are set forth in the shopping center generally. Having said that, traffic remains a concern. Brixmor is well aware of that as is Spread Bagelry. I would encourage the board not to superimpose its opinions as to the availability of parking. That's their concern and is not a consideration of the conditional use approval."

Spread Bagelry, which has 17 locations, including 15 in the greater Philadelphia area, is looking to expand into the lucrative Bucks County market with its 18th store.

The chain is known for its wood-fired bagel sandwiches, including the Standard, the Cure, the Classic, and the Club. It follows the simple mantra, "Flour from wheat. Honey from bees. Fire from wood. Simple is good."