TATAMY, Pa. — Developers behind an array of new buildings slated for the Charles Chrin Commerce Center in Tatamy met with the planning commission to field questions for the project Tuesday evening.
Plans submitted by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services detail a 119,878 square-foot warehouse, two retail buildings measuring 15,033 and 13,000 square feet, and a 5,080 square-foot quick-service restaurant spot in Tatamy’s portion of the property, falling across two zoning districts.
Another two buildings, also quick-service restaurants, are being constructed on the same property, falling in Palmer Township.
“... The concern is making sure that the residents of Tatamy are not impacted by traffic flow coming from our development straight across Eighth Street into the borough residence area there. ”Langan Engineering's AnnMarie Vigilante
Langan Engineering’s Shaun Haas and AnnMarie Vigilante attended the hearing to discuss basic elements of the plan and offer a progress update for the commission and the public.
Haas stated that the project has been presented to both Tatamy borough and Palmer Township, with conditionally approved relief related to a use variance and a setback relief, which was approved in Palmer on Jan. 7, 2025.
A PennDOT scoping application was filed in July 2024, Haas said, with PennDOT responding with a few notes on the project. The traffic impact study highway occupancy permit have not yet been filed.
“So it's really the scoping application, zoning applications and the sketch plan applications, with the zoning and sketch running concurrently between the two municipalities,” Haas said.
Haas reviewed elements of the Palmer meeting including; a request to allow for commercial use in an industrial district, an allowance for parking within ten feet of a public runway, an allowance for parking in the “front yard” between Main Street and the main building, another allowance to allow parking within 10 feet of a public right of way, and a request to average the total impervious coverage for the property across the two zoning districts.
For Tatamy, Haas said, one issue in need of relief is a driveway that measures wider than 40 and up to 165 feet, which is seen on the plan just off of Eighth Street.
As per the scoping application submitted to PennDOT, the drive is currently full access, though Haas and Vigilante both said those details are not yet finalized.
At least one planning commission said they had a problem with that particular plan, though they did say they would be open to hearing out the developers.
Planning Commission Chairman Tim Frey further explained those concerns, stating “PennDOT is suggesting that they want it to be full access, which means kind of what it sounds like: You can just go straight across, right? So it's traffic both ways. You almost certainly couldn't put a light there, because there's already light 10 feet away.”
Vigilante said that PennDOT appears open to steering away from full access, going so far as to say “they’re okay if there’s no access.”
According to Vigilante, possible solutions could involve an island to direct right-in, right-out and left-in pattern. The challenge would also include implementing protection “so that when they're making the right out, they can't swing around and make a left, but it also allows Broad Street to operate as it does currently.”
“We're proposing access to Eighth Street from the development, and the concern is it's going to align with Broad Street,” Vigilante said.
“There'll be a direct alignment with Broad Street, and the concern is making sure that the residents of Tatamy are not impacted by traffic flow coming from our development straight across Eighth Street into the borough residence area there. So we’re just looking at how we can design that driveway to make it safe and efficient for not only development, but also for the residents.”
Vigilante said Langan is still in talks with the borough and PennDOT to decide on the best option for the intersection.
Other issues presented to the commission included allowance for 28 parking spaces near the northwest side of the industrial building, which is zoned for industrial use, to be set for commercial use; and a request to shorten the length of a drive-through to maintain “a more uniform look to the site.”
Borough Engineering Representative Jim Milot suggested implementing curbing or curb stops near building four to prevent vehicular accidents and to establish a drive-by lane to pass by the drive-through.
“The least amount of 18 wheelers and disruption to our town, the better, obviously. So this isn't so bad. The more information we have, the better,”Tim Frey
Milot added that “the tight radii as the westerly portion of the parking lot for building one” is “ripe for driver confusion and very tight maneuvering between Tatamy Borough and the Palmer Township access points,” requesting a solution to potentially “soften that access point.”
Planning Commission member Michael Lester also pointed out issues with the access points, in addition to the placement of a dumpster near Eighth Street which he said should be relocated to minimize the impact of the smell to residents.
While Tatamy’s planning commission still has a few points of concern around the entry point from Eighth Street, they appeared satisfied with the sketch plan presentation and ready to work with developers to move the project forward.
“The least amount of 18 wheelers and disruption to our town, the better, obviously. So this isn't so bad. The more information we have, the better,” Frey said.
Haas said he and Vigilante are set to appear before Tatamy’s Zoning Hearing Board on Feb. 18 to wrap up their application and discuss variance relief requests.
“I think it's a good project. You know, other than the zoning relief that we had discussed everything. So it's a by-right plan that's going to meet the criteria that of the borough in the township, and it's a good opportunity to get some additional retail in the area.” Haas said.
According to Langan Engineering, there are no prospective buyers for the proposed properties yet.
