LOWER MACUNGIE TOWNSHIP — A proposed shopping center next
to the Walmart Supercenter on Hamilton Boulevard would feature the Lehigh
Valley's first Movie Tavern and up to seven retailers and restaurants.
But the Dallas-based theater's hope of opening late this
year might be ambitious, given some issues involving traffic patterns around,
and access to, Jaindl Land Co.'s proposed Trexler Business Center.
On Tuesday, the Lower Macungie Township Planning
Commission reviewed the 116,400-square-foot
center. It's anchored by a 47,000-square-foot theater, announced in
October, that would offer
patrons food and drinks served at their seats during the film, the first
theater of its kind in the area.
The shopping center would be on a 17-acre,
triangular-shaped property east of the Walmart Supercenter, south of Bastian
Carpet One and Hamilton Animal Care, and northwest of the eighth and ninth
holes at Shepherd Hills Golf Club. It combines five parcels and calls for five
stand-alone buildings.
The main entranceway would be in the 6100 block of
Hamilton Boulevard, between Bastian Carpet and Hamilton Animal Care.
Last June, David Jaindl offered to pay for construction
of a traffic roundabout at the entrance, but the plan now calls for an adaptive
traffic signal like
the ones being installed around the nearby Hamilton Crossings shopping center.
Alan Fornwalt, Keystone Consulting Engineers, said that
because another adaptive traffic signal is being installed at Hamilton and Mill
Creek Road, where two new Uline warehouses are under construction, a roundabout
in between the other new developments could compromise the coordinated traffic
movement.
Tom Walter, PennDOT District 5 traffic signal manager,
said Wednesday that all adaptive signals would be part of the same coordinated
system. He also said PennDOT hasn't made an official recommendation for the
Hamilton entrance to the proposed shopping center because it hasn't seen a
completed traffic analysis.
Township officials raised concerns Tuesday about how an
inbound turning lane could affect the old sycamore trees that characterize the
boulevard corridor. Two trees will likely need to be removed, but Lower
Macungie hopes the turning lane can be shortened so four other trees won't lose
roots.
Because a shorter turning lane gives motorists less time
to slow down, the township is also asking PennDOT to consider decreasing the
speed limit to 35 mph from 45 mph in that area of Hamilton Boulevard.
Bud Newton, Jaindl's project engineer, hopes to meet with
PennDOT in the next week.
The plan includes a central serpentine driveway that will
connect to the Walmart parking lot behind Texas Roadhouse, providing crucial
access to Mill Creek Road.
This would also require enhancements to the Mill Creek
intersection. Southbound Mill Creek would be re-striped so the left lane would
solely be for turning into Walmart, and the right lane would continue south or
provide access to the Faith Church and Suburban car wash.
The Planning Commission asked the developer to cover the
cost of re-striping Mill Creek.
Jaindl first proposed the development in 2004.
Construction was delayed by the recession, and the plans have been revised
multiple times.
Because the initial development plan was submitted before
zoning ordinance changes that same year, the township is reviewing the plan
under the former ordinance. Because of previous reviews of similar submissions,
the Planning Commission will likely treat this land development plan as both
preliminary and final.
The plan also includes a LANTA bus stop and shelter in
the shopping center, near Hamilton Animal Care. Lower Macungie would like to
add sidewalks connecting to one that ends by AutoZone.
A sidewalk in front of the veterinary hospital would cut
into its parking. Jaindl met with present veterinary hospital representatives
after the meeting to address their concerns about parking, access and other
potential disruptions.
The Planning Commission review was ultimately tabled
until a later date.
Source: The
Morning Call
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