NORTH WHITEHALL, Pa.— Township residents showed up at a Board of Supervisors meeting Monday with questions on a matter that wasn't on the agenda: the proposed Nexus 78 warehouse project.
The project is slated to occupy 501,000 square feet at 3121 Route 309.
Its ceilings would be 50 feet high, and partially because of the heavy truck traffic that would come with it, Lehigh Valley Planning Comission has voiced concerns.
But so far, it meets North Whitehall's ordinances, and the only vocal opposition in the room Monday came from residents sharing their concerns publicly.
"It's kind of like, getting to know what a goldfish is versus what a whale is. So that's where I'm a little upset about it."JoAnn Mertz, resident
One of those residents was JoAnn Mertz, who showed up with a clipboard full of notes.
Mertz said she's been tracking the development, and meticulously checking all available public documents and showing up to meetings to oppose it.
"It's kind of like, getting to know what a goldfish is versus what a whale is," she said after the meeting. "So that's where I'm a little upset about it."
'Not having them go forward'
Mertz said her concerns are mostly about the traffic.
"It's not the idea of the warehouse that is my major concern," she said. "It's the idea of tractor-trailers on our small, windy, congested roads. And that's my main reason."
"The developer has to meet the requirements of the township's subdivision and land development ordinance. So that's going to be the main focus in the planning commission, the degree to which it complies with the subdivision and land development ordinance."North Whitehall Township Manager Randy Cope
During the meeting, Mertz asked planners questions about potential upcoming conditional hearings for the project.
"There's no conditional use hearing required for this warehouse," Township Manager Randy Cope replied.
Finally, Mertz asked point blank: "So at this time, there's nothing in your pockets that you can use against these developers? Is there any other means of possibly not having them go forward?"
Cope replied, "Well, ma'am, the developer has to meet the requirements of the township's subdivision and land development ordinance.
"So that's going to be the main focus in the planning commission, the degree to which it complies with the subdivision and land development ordinance."
Visibly dejected, Mertz said, "Thank you," and sat down.
Transparency
Another resident, Jedd Komlos, who also sits on the Township's Parks & Rec. committee had questions about the township's communications around the warehouse matter.
He wanted to know why there was a hearing planned with the developers of Nexus 78 that was outside of the regular meeting schedule, with no opportunity for the public to participate.
"Why is that?"North Whitehall Township resident Jedd Komlos, asking about township communications on the warehouse matter
"Why is that?" he said.
Cope responded: "This project, because of the magnitude of this project, it's going to take a whole night. You know, we have to be out of this room by 9:45.
"So to put it on its own night, is just to make sure we can get through as much as possible, I think that's wise."
After publication, Township Supervisor Randy Cope clarified that the dedicated meeting for the Nexus 78 project would be open to the public.
Komlos also asked whether meeting notes were being deleted from the township's website, which Cope denied.
Cope wondered aloud whether it might have been a glitch or an issue with the user interface of the website.
He assured Komlos that he could come to his office and see the notes if he wanted, and suggested the township could in the future send them out in the form of an email newsletter.
Komlos also asked for specifics of a traffic study around the proposed warehouse site that the township said it had conducted in September.
Cope said it had been conducted to measure traffic flow during peak hours, and while school was in session at nearby Orefield Middle School.
After that, the meeting was adjourned.
