EASTON, Pa. — While it may not be able to directly influence the outcome, the Easton Area School Board has united with other local entities to express concerns over the proposed Easton Commerce Park warehouse.
Superintendent Tracy Piazza introduced the discussion during her report at the board's meeting Tuesday, and invited the board and public to weigh in.
The contentious 1 million-square-foot warehouse project would largely sit off Wood Avenue in Wilson Borough, but may impact Easton and even Palmer Township.
Piazza acknowledged the board lacked any voting power on the matter, but expressed hope that issues highlighted by the board and the public could be conveyed to the project developers.
Discussion over pollution and road damage prompted the board, led by the suggestion of Meg Sayago, to consider drafting a resolution detailing its concerns for the developers and the public’s consideration.
Board member Ghennifer Zando-Dennis gave a summary of the Easton Commerce Park plan, using materials gathered by the Stop the Wood Ave Warehouse group to illustrate prime issues for the district.
“It’s less about stopping the project and more about trying to do what we can to scale it back and to force PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection to do their job to ensure that this project isn't given any variances or allowances that would be contrary to the public good."EASD board member Meg Sayago
Zando-Dennis expressed primary concerns about traffic and safety for students and potential environmental issues.
Presentations in Wilson and Easton have seen the public express the same worries about the project.
“Additionally, roadways in the vicinity were not built to withstand the impacts of such high volumes of tractor trailers, and are currently inadequate to accommodate the proposal," Zando-Dennis said.
She said that includes "the bridge that the trucks would be using that has only 10-foot-wide lanes.”
“Additionally, to accommodate the proposal, nearby developments and existing land uses, including Hackett Park and Palmer Township residential neighborhoods to the northwest, and the Simon Silk mixed-use redevelopment and the city of Easton to the east, face quality of life impacts depending on how traffic is routed to and from the site,” she said.
Bus routes considered
EASD Transportation Manager Benjamin Bernhart said numerous buses use Bushkill Street, Hackett Avenue and Wood Avenue as part of their routes to avoid congestion on Nazareth Road, especially during morning and afternoon pickups and drop-offs.
Bernhart said 27 buses use an alternate route to circumvent Nazareth Road traffic and five buses have stops on Hackett that could become intermixed with warehouse traffic.
Also, 13 buses use Hackett to get to additional stops, with nine more buses with stops on Wood Avenue that could be intermixed with warehouse traffic.
Also, seven buses use Bushkill to get to the Simon Silk Milk, and there are 13 routes on Bushkill “within that general vicinity,” and “a large number of buses that use Bushkill and 13th Street to get to and from the middle school.”
“And my main major concern about the truck traffic would be 13th Street and Bushkill, especially the light at Bushkill on 13th, which is a tough right turn for a CDL vehicle, and even for a school bus that's only 40 feet long," Bernhart said.
"We're talking about a 53-foot tractor-trailer. It is going to back up traffic and delay our buses."
Environmental report
Zando-Dennis also referenced a 2024 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that showed toxic releases into the air within a square mile of the proposed warehouse site fall into the 86th percentile for the country, diesel particulate matter falls within the 75th percentile and asthma in the 78th percentile.
“So the environmental impact would already be… you’re piling on more of this particulate runoff and other pollution that would impact what's already a bad situation in terms of the environment and the health of people,”Ghennifer Zando-Dennis
“So the environmental impact would already be… you’re piling on more of this particulate runoff and other pollution that would impact what's already a bad situation in terms of the environment and the health of people,” Zando-Dennis said.
Zando-Dennis also cited the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s comprehensive planning committee review of the project, which she said led to a “fairly negative review.”
Asked about the involvement of surrounding municipalities and their capacity to weigh in on the matter, Zando-Dennis said that a legal challenge was a possibility.
“It's one option for sure, to bring legal action into it. Yes, that's one option, and there are experts," Zando-Dennis said.
"The different federal environmental and state environmental protection agencies could also get involved if they're solicited."
Based on recent presentations and discussions in Easton, challenges to traffic impact may be the most viable option to challenge the warehouse, though legally, the developers have done just about all of their due diligence.
After several board members expressed worries over the potential traffic impact on the region and the effect it could have on buses and traffic issues in general, Sayago suggested the potential to “entertain some sort of a resolution to vote on, and to specifically have it be part of the public record.”
Other board members appeared to agree, with the suggestion that officials from Palmer Township be included if they so choose.
A handful of residents chimed in on the matter toward the end of the meeting, raising concerns over the often-mentioned issues surrounding the warehouse: traffic, road deterioration, pollution and water contamination.
“It’s less about stopping the project, and more about trying to do what we can to scale it back and to force PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection to do their job to ensure that this project isn't given any variances or allowances that would be contrary to the public good,” Sayago said.
