Construction is underway on Hamilton Crossings, a
colossal $140 million upscale open-air shopping center in Lower Macungie
Township. The work marks the first significant physical step in a project five
years in the making.
Developers Jeremy Fogel of the Goldenberg Group in Blue
Bell and Tim Harrison of TCH Development of Staten Island, N.Y., made the
announcement Tuesday afternoon. The site is between Hamilton Boulevard and the
Route 222 bypass at Krocks Road.
The 565,000-square-foot site of two abandoned mines will
give way to the Lehigh Valley’s first Whole Foods and other big-box tenants
such as Costco, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target, plus dozens of retailers such
as Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Rally House, Five Below, Designer Shoe Warehouse,
Pier 1 Imports and ULTA Cosmetics. The complex should open for business in July
2016.
While all retail spaces are spoken for, these are the
only retailers the developers are permitted to disclose, Tim Harrison,
principal of TCH Development, said this morning.
The project will bring 495 construction jobs and, after
the center opens, 619 full-time jobs and about 300 part-time jobs, he said.
“We are doing environmental remediation on a couple of
structures and we are about to start remediation of mine wash,” Harrison said.
The mine wash is a highly saturated material with no
structural strength, so it needs to be removed and replaced with clean fill, he
said.
To address flooding conditions, the developers will use a
regional storm water detention facility.
The Goldenberg Group is handling construction management,
while James D. Morrissey Inc. of Philadelphia is the site work contractor, he
added.
“We are adding capacity to various roadways around the
site,” Harrison said.
Roadway improvements include the installation of seven
adaptive traffic lights that offer a varied amount of green-light time
depending on the amount of traffic, he said. The lights are designed to
optimize traffic flow based on real time video.
With 2½ miles of walking and biking trails, all connected
to the township’s trail system, the center will include enhanced landscaping.
Harrison said the developers will work with the township’s historical society
to create storyboards along the trails that illustrate the history of the site
for visitors. The site will connect to the historical log cabin site on the
adjacent Wescosville Park.
Several stakeholders proved integral to moving the
project forward, including state government representatives and agencies such
as the Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation, Commonwealth Finance Agency and Pennsylvania
Infrastructure Bank.
Several banks financed the project, including M&T
Bank as the lead bank, along with Susquehanna Bank, National Penn Bank and
Beneficial Bank.
Harrison said he is grateful for the project’s support
from the township and various stakeholders.
“It’s been a real textbook case of an effective
public/private partnership and extremely collaborative,” he said. “I think we
feel a very strong sense of responsibility to execute the project during the
construction phase. It’s a uniquely great retail location and a great community.”
Source: LVB
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