Newtown's New Panera Bread Seeks More Sewer EDUs

NEWTOWN SQUARE–The Panera Bread proposed to come to the Newtown Square Shopping Center received unanimous approval from the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors on Monday night for a reallocation of sewer EDUs (equivalent dwelling units).

The proposed Newtown Square Panera Bread will be located at the former Dressbarn site within the Newtown Square Shopping Center.

According to Township Solicitor Richard Sokorai, the former Dressbarn had been allocated one EDU which was approximately 262.5 gallons per day. However, the proposed Panera Bread would need more sewage than that, said Sokorai.

"The engineer for the shopping center and the engineer for the municipal authority, James MacCombie, also the township's sewer enforcement officer, both agreed to the numbers of 5.7 EDUs for the Panera Bread as a responsible planning number," said Sokorai. Sokorai said 5.7 EDUs equates to approximately 1,575 gallons per day. 

Although a frozen yogurt shop is also planned to be constructed by the same area as the Panera Bread, in order for the Panera Bread to move forward they would need a reallocation of EDUs from existing spaces that the shopping center isn't using, according to Sokorai.

"They went through their average annual flows. They've gone down from several years ago and determined that they could use five empty spaces that formally had EDUs usage and apply them to the Dressbarn space," said Sokorai. "And Panera Bread could then move forward."

According to Sokorai, MacCombie agreed that the reallocation of sewer EDUs is a "responsible reallocation." Sokorai also confirmed that the reallocation of the EDUs has "nothing to do with the [Act] 537 Plan."

However, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) may request for a planning module or additional data or information from Panera Bread, according to Sokorai. 

"But all they want from us is that the Board is okay with this reallocation," said Sokorai.

Sokorai said if one of those empty spaces in the shopping center becomes an "active facility" that would require an EDU, then the shopping center would need to find more sewage and contact DEP and the downstream providers in order to come up with more EDUs. "That's on them," said Sokorai.

The motion was moved by Supervisor Dr. Ross Lambert and seconded by Supervisor John Nawn. The motion was approved 4-0 with Supervisor George Wood absent.

to take over the former site of Dressbarn in the Newtown Square Shopping Center.