2:00 PM Park Opening Newton Common – West Green Street
Newtown Common Project
The Newtown Common is the last publicly owned lot of the original 43 acre Common designed by William Penn in 1684. The rest of the Common was sold to private owners in 1796 to help finance several projects of the day, including construction of the Centre Avenue Bridge, which crosses the creek several blocks to the south. The remaining 0.18 acre park straddles Newtown Creek and had fallen into disrepair, jeopardizing the integrity of the creek banks.
The Newtown Common and Creek Restoration project included removal of the concrete debris at the end of Greene Street; stabilization and restoration of the creek banks; redesign of the park and its pedestrian entrance; landscaping with native plants in the park and along Greene Street; installation of solar lighting, seating, bicycle racks and educational signage; sensitive stormwater management; and step-down access to the creek. We planted trees on the Township side of the creek in October as part of the Tree Vitalization project.
This project was partially funded by a $150,000 grant from the Community Conservation Partnership Program administered by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. Additional funding was provided by the Bucks County Municipal Open Space Program, a TreeVitalize grant and private donations.
