ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A five-building expansion at Parkland High School and a plan to expand an Allentown Schools building into a family engagement and resource center got a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission committee' backing Tuesday.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Planning Committee reviewed plans for the multi-building expansion at Parkland High School at 2700 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., South Whitehall Township.
Also reviewed was a two-story addition proposed for Allentown Schools' Building 21 to create the engagement and resource center at 265 Lehigh St.
The planning committee also approved a review of a proposal to construct a 14,000-square-foot Primrose School Childcare Center at 5007 Freemansburg Ave. in Bethlehem Township.
The project also includes creation of associated parking.
All projects will be further reviewed by a full meeting of the LVPC on Thursday night.
Parkland expansion
The five-building expansion consists of:
- 5,385-square-foot athletic entrance expansion
- 2,753-square-foot cafeteria expansion
- 18,773-square-foot and a 19,782-square-foot classroom expansions
- 572-square-foot building addition
In addition to the building expansions, the project includes the extension of the existing bus loop to create an additional 11 bus parking spaces.
That would eliminate the 63-space parking lot adjacent to the bus loop.
A new parking lot would be constructed to the southeast of the existing parking lots near Cedar Crest Boulevard, adding 111 parking spaces for a total of 1,489 spaces.
Allentown family engagement plan
Falling under the Educational Facilities category of FutureLV: The Regional Plan, the application proposes construction of a 9,360-square-foot, two-story addition to the existing Allentown School District Building 21.
The expansion would be on the north side of the property and include a new 20-space paved parking lot and sidewalks.
A review of the plan by LVPC shows the parcel is in a development area and has the factors needed to support growth, such infrastructure capacity and contiguity to Building 21.
The LVPC determined the proposal “serves to expand access to education and job training which serves to stimulate investment in local institutions and increase social opportunities for current students and teachers of Building 21.”
Childcare center, data centers
The Primrose School Childcare Center would measure 14,088 square feet and include construction of associated parking spaces.
Primrose Schools is a national system of accredited private preschools that provides a premier early education and child care experience for children and families.
The parcel is adjacent to residential properties and some commercial/retail buildings.
LVPC previously reviewed a sketch plan application at the site in June 2022 for a 26-unit apartment building.
Also Tuesday, the Planning Commission committee addressed a zoning ordinance amendment application by Upper Mount Bethel Township regarding the regulation of data centers.
The application was submitted late and has been added to the CPC meeting agenda on May 20.
Data centers house infrastructure that supports computing functions such as servers, data storage drives and network equipment.
