Suburban corporate office parks are not dead yet.
Construction of suburban office complexes may have slowed
as larger numbers of firms look to establish a presence in renovated and new
buildings in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton cities – but plans are in the
works to build a corporate office park near Route 33 in suburban Bethlehem
Township.
Developer Lou Pektor of Ashley Development in Bethlehem
submitted a sketch plan for an office park to the township’s planning
commission which would create a main entrance and exit at the William Penn
Highway Park & Ride, a commuter hub.
The project, called The Mill Creek Corporate Center,
would be developed in stages, said Nathan Jones, planning director for the
township. The first part calls for one two-story building at 60,460 square feet
and one three-story building of 64,350 square feet, with seven more proposed
buildings of various sizes.
The land itself has been zoned for office/business for
quite some time, Jones said.
The sketch plan shows separate parking for the office
park.
“When and if we receive a formal plan, we are looking at
the fact that stormwater and traffic mitigation are two significant issues that
would need to be addressed,” Jones said.
The plan includes a dog park as part of the dedicated
open space on the north side and walking path with passive recreation.
William Penn Commons, a proposed retail center along
William Penn Highway on hold, also would be served by the same entrance on
William Penn Highway. Sidewalks between the two sites might be built.
Since the 1980s, the land has been recommended in
township planning documents as office/light business use, Jones said.
“It’s a significant proposal; one would imagine having it
in phases would allow the build-out to occur as needed,” Jones said.
The planning commission will review the sketch plan, and
the township board of commissioners is expected to review the plan next month,
Jones said.
Pektor did not return calls for comment.
Source: LVB.com
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