New Hope Borough Council creates new zone to aid Bucks County Playhouse; votes on other issues at meeting

New Hope Borough Council President Claire Shaw and Solicitor T. J. Walsh during Feb. 18 meeting (Photo: Charlie Sahner)

While much attention has been paid to the presentation of a conceptual plan of land development by Gateway to New Hope, LLC for Odette’s, a fair amount of other decision-making activity occurred at Tuesday night’s meeting of the New Hope Borough Council.

Chief among the items under consideration was a decision to move forward with Ordinance No. 2014-­‐01 establishing a Riverfront  Cultural Overlay Zoning District, following a public hearing in which attendees expressed no interest in speaking. Said one Borough Hall veteran, “Folks are all talked-out on this issue.”

The decision stemmed from approval of a Borough Council proposal at its Nov. 19, 2013 meeting to create a special business zone that would allow the Bucks County Playhouse to expand its back deck a into a full bar and convert the former Club Zadar into a hotel/restaurant/bar.

Also of note was passage of Resolution  No. 2014-­‐05R allowing  participation and voting  by  councilpersons via telecommunication devices. And the borough authorized advertisement of an ordinance establishing a life partnership registry.

Also meeting a positive response by Borough Council were proposals authorizing the solicitation of  bids for landscape maintenance services, Park & Recreation Board expenditures of $1,000 for the Tile Mural Project, preparation of a resolution adding a representative of the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury to the Revitalization Committee, and consideration of requests for special event permits for the annual 5K Spirit Run on April 6 and the annual Homecoming Parade scheduled for Oct. 18.

Finally, council authorized the purchase of carpet for the Community Room to dampen echoes and protect the wood flooring there after exploring various color, material, thickness, size and design options over the course of recent months.