Airport Road strip mall proposed by developers of Target complex

A new Airport Road strip mall plaza is planned by the same developers who built the Target plaza on that same road.

The plans calls for nine separate retail buildings comprising a combined 156,750-square-feet on 20 acres at the intersection of Airport Road and American Parkway.

No tenants are yet lined up for the proposed plaza, which would be located in both Allentown and Hanover Township, and it could be as late as 2016 before it is built.

"It's all tenant-driven," said Rick Albertson, one of the property owners. "It all depends on how quickly we can get tenants."

The proposed strip mall is located about a half-mile south of the Target plaza, which also includes a Sam's Club, Old Navy, A.C. Moore, Christmas Tree Shops, Five Guys Burger and Fries and other stores and eateries.

The new proposal, tentatively called Woodlawn Property, is smaller in scale and will likely cost less than $20 million to develop, Albertson told the Allentown Planning Commission today.

Albertson said the developers could seek final planning approval in as early as six months, although a longer time-frame is expected. It is not expected to be built for at least a year-and-a-half.

The largest building in the proposed plaza is 65,000-square-feet near the intersection of Lloyd and North Irving streets, according to the plans.

That building would contain the anchor tenant, while two attached buildings at 27,000- and 13,050-square-feet would support other major junior tenants, Albertson said.

The other buildings range from 12,500-square-feet to 3,200-square-feet in size and are scattered throughout plaza, according to the plans.

Albertson said he mostly envisions retail stores and restaurants, although the zoning also allows for banks and other types of businesses.

The Allentown Planning Commission got its first look at early sketch plans today, but no vote was held, and the developers will have to present them with more detailed plans in the future.

Hanover Township officials will also have to approve the project. Albertson said he has only had informal talks with their staff so far, but expects to make a presentation to township council on Sept. 17.

Allentown planners had few comments about the plans today, but commission Chairman Oldrich Foucek suggested the developer add more trees and landscaping to the parking lot, rather than just "acres of asphalt."

"It looks like you've got plenty of parking," he said. "You could kill two birds with one stone: make for a better looking parking lot and satisfy your parking requirements."

Commission member Richard Button suggested the developer speaks with LANTA about possible bus stop locations at the plaza before the plans become finalized.

Source: Lehigh Valley Live