LOWHILL TWP., Pa. — A proposal for a more-than-100,000- square-foot warehouse drew Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's ire Tuesday.
LVPC officials during a comprehensive planning committee lambasted Core 5's proposal for its size, impact on natural resources and the lack of road and utility infrastructure that can support it in the location.
They said the project's footprint should be reduced.
"In our findings, like even reducing the size — not that it doesn't matter — but clearly there's still a lot of issues just because of the sheer scale of the development."Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Chief Community Planner Jill Seitz
"In our findings, like even reducing the size — not that it doesn't matter — but clearly there's still a lot of issues just because of the sheer scale of the development," commission Chief Community Planner Jill Seitz said.
"Both from, like, form and like development size to the transportation and facts and the context of the surrounding area. Those issues are still present."
The LVPC states that the project goes against the priorities of current plans such as the Northern Lehigh Multi-Municipal Plan and the regional Future LV plan.
But because it was submitted before the township's proposed zoning changes went into effect, it is a legal development.
The LVPC also lists a potential 3,400-square-foot office space as part of the development.
It would consolidate two parcels into a 22.21-acre lot on the northwest corner of the Kernsville Road and Orchard Road intersection.
It also was reviewed by the LVPC in June 2023, when the project sat at 190,960 square feet.
An initial plan for the now-100,569 square foot warehouse at 7503 Kernsville Road was previously rejected by town supervisors and courts over safety, environmental impact, and preserving the rural character of the 2,000-person township.
'Have to allow some industrial'
A Lehigh County judge will hold a hearing about the matter Oct. 3.
It was part of a string of rejections from Lowhill Township supervisors, with county judges ruling that Lowhill supervisors did not have a legal basis to deny other warehouse plans at Route 100 and at Betz Court.
Those plans were given "deemed approval," or approval by the court, despite township supervisors’ denial and resident outcry.
"They're in a situation where it's zoned industrial, so they have to allow some industrial there," LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said.
"So really, what the township has to work through is how to work with the developer to make this as good as possible.
"That's really the situation that they're in, actually, with all three of the warehouses that are around this Kernsville, Route 100 North intersection.
"The one thing I would like to say, though, is I really do appreciate the fact that the community is recognizing this as an issue.
"The local government is recognizing this as an issue, and they're trying to make sure that this scenario doesn't happen again."
The new proposal reduced the original square footage by almost half, condensing the development in the southwestern corner of the lot.
Current zoning lists the project in the township's Rural Village, or RV, district, with two dwellings and a masonry building on the project site set to be demolished.
Construction is set to occur on "currently undeveloped agricultural land."
Many issues discussed
According to the LVPC, the site will significantly impact natural resources prioritized for conservation such as slopes, riparian buffers and woodlands.
It also "greatly surpasses" the scale of surrounding developments at its square footage and 45-foot height.
The largest buildings nearby are less than 20,000 square feet according to the LVPC, at a higher industrial intensity than surrounding small commercial operations.
"The new plan and anticipated zoning code and official map updates should address incompatible proposals like this."Lehigh Valley Planning Commission letter to Lowhill Township
LVPC also says the proposal is adjacent to land uses "incompatible" with the current proposal, such as residential neighborhoods and a daycare across Kernsville Road.
"The new plan and anticipated zoning code and official map updates should address incompatible proposals like this," the LVPC letter to Lowhill Township recommended Tuesday states.
LVPC officials also strongly recommend to the developer an updated traffic impact study accurate to the new design, with LVPC predicting 61 truck trips per day.
During the meeting, officials said trucks traveling from the south are most likely to follow GPS routing from Interstate 78 to Route 100 and "have to make a hairpin turn" onto Kernsville Road.
That, officials said, would cause property damage concerns, also noting that nearby roads are not currently suitable for heavy truck travel.
The proposed comment letter reviewed by commissioners will be reviewed by the full commission Thursday.
