NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — The fate of a revised plan for a controversial housing development will be decided at a later date.
North Whitehall Board of Supervisors held a conditional use hearing Wednesday for a revised plan of the Rising Sun subdivision, which would have 110 single-family homes on about 100 acres at 1321 Rising Sun Road.
The board did not reach a decision at the three-hour hearing. It likely will reconvene at 7 p.m. June 20 to announce its decision.
A finalized date will be announced on the township website.
The revised plan would turn the subdivision into what is called a “cluster development,” meaning about the same number of homes would be on smaller lots.
The rest of the land — about 45 acres — would be permanently preserved as open space.
Developer Access Commercial Development's civil engineer, Joon Park, said the new plan includes a walking trail on the open space, and a playground may be added.
The hearing was held to determine whether the developer would be allowed to move forward with the revised plan, which needs conditional approval under the township zoning ordinance.
If supervisors decide not to give conditional approval, the developer likely would move forward with the original plan, which is a permitted use in the zoning district of the property.
‘An accident waiting to happen’
Residents at the hearing said they still had many of the same concerns as they did for the original plan.
The primary concern raised was the increased traffic at Route 145 and Rising Sun Road, which only has a stop sign.
The subdivision would add about 1,100 total vehicle trips per day. Benjamin Guthrie, the traffic engineer with the developer, said he estimated the new houses would increase the traffic at that intersection about 5%.
Several people asked if Access Commercial Development could put in a traffic light at the intersection.
Guthrie said he determined the intersection does not meet the criteria for a traffic signal laid out by the state Transportation Department, which controls Route 145.
Resident Tim Cadden said he has had to wait 15 minutes trying to make a left turn onto Route 145 from Rising Sun Road.
“So you're telling me there's going to be more cars, no light, just a stop sign?" Cadden said. "That's an accident waiting to happen. And I'd hate to see it."
“Yes, we're trying to fix the problems that we hear, but we are not necessarily the problem."Lawyer Kimberly Freimuth
Lawyer for the developer Kimberly Freimuth said she understands the concerns, but the intersection is not on the property being developed, and it would have the same issues regardless of the new homes.
“Yes, we're trying to fix the problems that we hear, but we are not necessarily the problem,” Freimuth said.
Another traffic-related concern was speeding down Rising Sun Road. Guthrie said the new plan has sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian medians to narrow the road and hopefully slow traffic.
Residents who live nearby the sewage treatment plant on the property said the odor from the plant already is bad — and it would be expanded if approved.
Sewer engineer Frederick Ebert said the expansion may actually lessen odors.
“The faster you treat it, the less odors are created,” Ebert said.
Ebert said the team would work with Lehigh County Authority to see if there could be any further mitigation.
