UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A controversial plan for three new warehouses is reaching the final stages of development.
A final plan to build three new warehouses at the former site of the Air Products and Chemicals Inc. headquarters next month will face a vote by Upper Macungie Township Planners on whether to recommend approval.
- Upper Macungie’s Planning Commission soon will vote on whether to recommend approval for the final plan for three warehouses at the former site of the Air Products headquarters
- Residents previously expressed concern about the development’s impacts on traffic, water runoff and noise
- Planners will not discuss the Twin Ponds housing development at Wednesday's meeting but may vote on imposing a new time limit to public comments
The plan was set to go before the Planning Commission at its Wednesday meeting, but the developer decided to take more time to address the planners' comments, according to Assistant Township Manager Kalman Sostarecz.
Township supervisors voted unanimously at their February meeting to grant preliminary approval to the plan at 7201 Hamilton Blvd.
The warehouses would cover 2.61 million square feet. Residents previously expressed concern about the development’s impacts on traffic, water runoff and noise.
Previously, the plan was for warehouse developer Prologis to own and operate the warehouses.
“We are entertaining other interests, but in the meantime, Air Products is proceeding to essentially demolish the buildings and get the site ready for sale."Air Products Vice President of Strategic Projects
But Air Products' Vice President of Strategic Projects Patrick Garay said at the February meeting that discussions with the company are “on a pause” because of the economic conditions.
“We are entertaining other interests, but in the meantime, Air Products is proceeding to essentially demolish the buildings and get the site ready for sale,” Garay said at the time.
Twin Ponds housing development tabled
The proposed Twin Ponds housing development, which would include 132 apartment units within 22 buildings and a daycare facility, was going to go before the Planning Commission on Wednesday.
But the developer pulled from the agenda to have more time to address the planners’ reservations.
Planners previously raised concerns about the safety of the development's residents and the impact on traffic when reviewing a sketch plan for the development at their October meeting.
The developer and township staff worked to address those comments in the months since, adding a fence along Hamilton Boulevard and considering not allowing left turns out of the development onto Hamilton Boulevard.
But township staff at the planner's workshop meeting Monday cited several parts of the plan that need clarification or revising, including the stormwater management plan and the traffic study.
Time limit for public comment
Planners likely will vote on whether to impose a time limit on public comment at planning commission meetings.
At their workshop meeting, planners discussed how to discourage residents from repeating the same points as other residents.
Planners raised the idea of a five-minute time limit for regular public comment and a 10-minute time limit for a designated spokesperson of a group, but took no official action to adopt the policy.
Township Planning & Zoning Specialist John Toner said planning commission members Aubrie Miller and Andrew Eck resigned because of business matters, leaving two vacancies on the seven-member board.
This article was edited after Air Products representatives pulled from Wednesday's agenda.
