BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A proposed project along Airport Road that could draw development to an untouched space in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, will again come before the township Zoning Hearing Board on Thursday, and a Bethlehem man is trying to raise awareness of — and opposition to it.
- A proposed development on Airport Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County will again come before the township Zoning Hearing Board at 7:30 p.m. Thursday
- Opponents of the project fear development of a warehouse as large as 179,400 square feet
- The ability to develop the land for commercial purposes has been in effect since 2006, but officials say there have been few interested parties
The project, proposed for 4000 to 4030 Airport Road, potentially could house a 179,400-square-foot manufacturing warehouse building if zoners grant variances for it.
The land is owned by 4300 Airport Road PA, LLC, and is in an Aircraft Flightpath Highway Business District.
“Neighbors of the Hanover Farms and Stafore Estates neighborhoods in Hanover Township, Northampton County, object to the attempt to add one or more warehouse(s) in this area, and particularly in the Aircraft Flightpath zone.”Kenneth H. Varley, who opposes the project
In an open letter presented under the name of the “neighbors of the Hanover Farms and Stafore Estates neighborhoods in Hanover Township, Northampton County,” Kenneth H. Varley presented a list of grievances in a mission to “object to the attempt to add one or more warehouse(s) in this area, and particularly in the Aircraft Flightpath zone.”
Hanover zoners meet at 7 p.m. on July 27 at 3630 Jacksonville Road.
First introduced in January 2022
The project to develop the land for commercial purposes has been in effect since 2006, Zoning Officer Yvonne Kutz said, though there have been few interested parties.
The proposed manufacturing element falls under the control of the 300-acre development referred to as the Majestic Hanover Flex Center, first introduced to the township in January 2022.
"I'm hoping everyone has an understanding of what this application is all about, and they don't confuse it with Majestic. Majestic is a far bigger project than this.”Hanover Township Zoning Officer Yvonne Kutz
Owned by the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, Majestic leases the space and has expressed plans to expand its use beyond aviation.
Kutz noted that while she invites public engagement at zoning hearing board meetings, she wants the community to understand Thursday’s subject matter will focus on the manufacturing warehouse building space.
“Normally I don't post on social media, but, you know, I did, just to let them know what was up for tonight, and they're welcome to come to the meeting, of course,” Kutz said.
“So I'm hoping everyone has an understanding of what this application is all about, and they don't confuse it with Majestic. Majestic is a far bigger project than this.”
Manufacturing operation
The identity of the tenant interested in the property has not been released, though Kutz noted it isn’t necessarily a warehouse. Rather, it likely is a manufacturing operation that requires additional space for storage, hence one of the variances the LLC is seeking.
"It's just that their manufacturing process needs more space for their product, and also probably for raw goods and packaging materials is my guess."Hanover Township Zoning Officer Yvonne Kutz
“They are permitted to have 25 percent of storage and warehouse [space,] so it's not a warehouse per se," Kutz said. "It's not proposed as a warehouse.
"It's just that their manufacturing process needs more space for their product, and also probably for raw goods and packaging materials is my guess."
Thursday’s zoning meeting will address 4300 Airport Road PA, LLC’s proposed variances for the project.
Those include a provision that prohibits building and outdoor storage or truck parking from being closer than 400 feet from a residential zoning district; and a provision prohibiting access to Orchard Lane, Airport Road, Weaversville Road, or Schoenersville Road except by an internal coordinated road system.
Also, a provision limiting the maximum size of the lot for the zone to 8 acres; from provision requiring the applicant to improve lane capacity and intersection capacity to a capacity level of “C” or better; and a provision granting relief from the definition of a “truck terminal” as contained in the ordinance, instead concluding that the proposed building will be a manufacturing building.
“If they are granted those specific conditions for variances, then they can continue to file a conditional use application, which is another public hearing in front of the board of supervisors, and it does go through planning as well, so there are many steps to this application,” Kutz said.
Points of contention
Varley noted several points of contention with the suggested project, focusing on issues linked to safety, flooding, noise, traffic and air pollution, and environmental concerns.
Varley’s statement includes references to “having [a] large building built in the immediate vicinity of the end of an airport runway poses a hazard in the case of an aircraft forced to land short of the runway due to mechanical failure or severe weather conditions such as storm turbulence or microbursts.”
“I'm an individual, but I know how neighbors would feel about this"Kenneth H. Varley, who opposes the development
Furthermore, he raises concerns about potential flooding, saying, “A large warehouse-style building with the necessary driveways and parking lots would result in considerably more runoff into the adjacent parts of the community and would be likely to cause catastrophic flooding in the case of a severe thunderstorm or prolonged rain event.”
Increased truck traffic to the developed area would add to noise and exhaust pollution which could affect the nearby residential area, Varley states, leading to “seriously lower property values.”
Lastly, Varley calls out the fact that farmed fields are more capable of carbon dioxide capture and oxygen release, whereas “large paved, impervious areas” could lead to a heat island problem, along with the additional carbon dioxide release by trucks in the vicinity of the property.
“We hope to have the Hanover Township Northampton County Zoning Hearing Board deny the variances required to build such facilities on the land area where these facilities are proposed,” Varley’s letter concludes.
“I'm an individual, but I know how neighbors would feel about this,” Varley said. “I wrote this individually on my own. I think it covers how the neighbors feel about it.”
Environmental impact feared
According to Varley, his listed concerns are likely the most probable to occur, though the potential for a devastating accident is important to take into consideration, as well.
“I think the noise and water runoff are probably going to be the biggest impact," he said. "But, you know, if we ever have a plane come down short, that's going to be a big problem, because that could cause a real disaster.
“We're running out of time. There's a tipping point somewhere right down the road here. And once you're over that tipping point, it's very hard to go back."Kenneth H. Varley, who opposes the development
"If it comes down on a farm field, that's one thing. If it comes down on top of a concrete building or a bunch of trucks, that's another.”
In the long run, Varley said, he also fears the additional environmental impact a large construction project could present to the community.
“We're running out of time," he said. "There's a tipping point somewhere right down the road here. And once you're over that tipping point, it's very hard to go back.
"It becomes what we call a bistable situation. It's either ‘this’ or ‘that’ and getting it back from ‘that’ is very difficult."
While Varley remains concerned about what large warehouse structures — or any other significant development of the land which was once residentially zoned before airport flight path expansion — Kutz said nothing is certain until the board, and then the board of supervisors, approves it.
“There are many steps that this can take," he said. "We don't know what's going to happen tonight at the meeting. But I can tell you it is not for a big box warehouse."
