The plan calls for about 3 million square feet of warehouse
development that was part of an agreement with David Jaindl.
A developer's plans to bring nearly 3 million square feet of
warehouses to farmland in the western part of Lower Macungie Township has
gotten the approval of the township's Planning Commission.
The planning board on Tuesday night unanimously approved
Liberty Property Trust's plans to develop about 225 acres near Spring Creek,
Mertztown and Quarry Roads, the first project proposed as part of the planned
development of about 700 acres of Jaindl Land Co. farmland. That agreement and
subsequent zoning changes led to a lengthy and costly legal battle for the
township that was ultimately settled.
The Liberty plan still must get approval of the township's
Board of Commissioners, which could take action as soon as its next meeting
July 17. Liberty has not yet identified tenants that would move into the
buildings, and it's not clear when construction would begin.
There was little discussion about the proposal and no public
comment before the vote. Many details related to the development of the Jaindl
land were dictated by a controversial land deal that David Jaindl struck with
township commissioners in 2010.
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Under the agreement, Jaindl was permitted industrial,
residential and commercial development on the farmland on which he previously
proposed a quarry. In exchange for those land-use concessions, Jaindl agreed
not to pursue his quarry project.
Liberty's plan accounts for roughly 225 acres of the land to
be developed at the site known as Spring Creek Properties. The plan calls for
three warehouses — one is 1.2 million square feet, another 1.1 million and a
third 650,000 square feet. Each building may be occupied by more than one
tenant. The plan also includes a 10,000-square-foot office building.
Township officials said Liberty is expected to work with
LANTA to accommodate bus service to the site, as it will be a regional
employment center.
The Liberty project is just the first proposal on the land
that was divided into 16 lots. Jaindl's agreement with the township allows for
up to about 4 million square feet of warehouses, 71,000 square feet of
businesses and 400 homes.
Residents in Lower Macungie, as well as neighboring Macungie
and Alburtis, are bracing for up to 4,000 new rush-hour vehicles on the road
from the planned development over the next decade or so. The plan calls for
several road improvements.
Bill Erdman, the township's engineer, previously said there
were countless meetings to address anticipated traffic concerns. He has said
the goals all along were to ensure that necessary traffic signals and road
improvements were identified and completed before trucks began rolling into the
property.
Erdman earlier this year described significant improvements
along Spring Creek Road and an extension of Sauerkraut Lane that he said will
lead to "better distribution of traffic to major roadways" such as
Route 100.
The Jaindl proposal was tied up for about 2 1/2 years of
litigation after a group of residents challenged zoning changes that the
township approved to accommodate Jaindl's plan as part of the land deal.
The court battle cost Lower Macungie taxpayers about
$140,000 before a settlement was reached.
Under that settlement, Jaindl agreed to a scaled-down
version of his development plan.
Commissioner Ron Beitler, who attended Tuesday's meeting,
said that although he disagreed with many of the aspects of the agreement with
Jaindl by a previous Board of Commissioners, "there really isn't much that
can be done" to change it. Beitler had been a member of a citizens group
that was funding the zoning challenge.
"If there was any way to overturn the prior board's
action, I would pursue it," he said.
Source: Allentown
Morning Call
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