Developer wants to build 20 retail units, 88 townhouses near airport

A developer plans to build more than 80 townhouses and 20 retail units on land that covers East Allen and Hanover townships in Northampton County.

The site, two miles north of Route 22 and Lehigh Valley International Airport, is a little more than 22 acres at the intersection of Airport and Hanoverville roads.

Abe Atiyeh, a developer in Whitehall, submitted a sketch plan to officials at both townships, said Mickey Thompson, chief operating officer for Pennsylvania Venture Capital Inc., a subsidiary of Atiyeh. Thompson, a lawyer, is representing the developer.

“We are in the very preliminary stages of the project,” Thompson said.

The project, called Farmhouse Mews, calls for a strip mall with a maximum of 20 retail units of about 1,000 square feet each at the corner of Airport and Hanoverville roads, with tenants having the option to take more than one space, he said.

To the east would be the 88 upscale two-story townhouses. Each townhouse would have a garage and its own parking space, with parking for visitors in another section.

“For these two projects, we are trying to keep them as highly green space as possible,” Thompson said. “Most of the green space will be passive recreation.”

Now that the company has introduced plans to the townships, the permitting process should begin fairly quickly, he said. It could be six months to a year before approvals are finalized, Thompson said. The company would need to acquire subdivision and land development approvals from two municipalities.

He said the developer has a builder for the townhouses, declining to name the company.

Source: LVB.com