LOWER MACUNGIE TWP. — The final land development plan for the Topgolf part of the proposed Lehigh Valley Town Center project quickly made it through Lower Macungie Township on Thursday.
Township commissioners quickly approved the 11.5-acre entertainment center.
Topgolf is currently the only tenant identified for the town center site and is a popular cross between a specialized driving range and a sports bar.
Plans state the facility would have 72 driving range bays in a two-story, 20,460-square-foot building.
The Lehigh Valley Topgolf would be the fourth such facility in the state, with two others near Philadelphia and one near Pittsburgh.
The full Jaindl Land Company-led, 59-acre proposed complex of housing, retail, offices and entertainment gained conditional use approval in August, sending one of the most ambitious development plans in the region into the land development phase.
"We think [Topgolf is] a great entertainment addition to the Lehigh Valley, and we think people are going to really enjoy it."Luke Jaindl
More is expected to be discussed regarding tenants as the project edges nearer to completion.
The Topgolf phase is being developed by ARCO/Murray on behalf of Topgolf Lehigh Valley and Lanston Equitis LLC.
"We think it's a great entertainment addition to the Lehigh Valley, and we think people are going to really enjoy it," said Luke Jaindl, real estate manager with the Jaindl Land Company, which leads the massive project.
"In working with the township, and of course, Topgolf, I think it's a great outcome."
Developers previously said they expected construction on Topgolf to begin this year.
Prior township documents related to project conditions stated that final approval and construction had to occur within three years of conditional use approval.
Jaindl said there's no definitive timeline for when the rest of the town center project will appear before the township again, but the company is actively optimizing development and communicating with potential tenants to "craft the way that the town center wants to look and feel."
The full project envisions a mix of a walkable, livable urban center and a suburban entertainment destination.
A land development application for an access drive and detention basin for the town center development also was submitted and is expected to come before the township in March.
"We're quite lucky, we spent so much time during the conditional use process, basically sanding out the finer points," Nathan Jones, Lower Macungie Township director of planning and community development, said before the vote.
"By and large, there's a strong level of comfort at this point that the board can move together and vote for the resolution of approval."
The development previously was subject to a lengthy list of conditions, and further conditions for the project were laid out in the township's resolution.
The included statements that the developers now must get approvals related to utilities and other permits, that a traffic impact fee of $331,584.00 must be paid to the township and that all on-site lighting must meet dark sky standards.
