UPPER MILFORD TWP., Pa. — Plans to turn the TG Countryside ice cream shop into a premium cigar lounge have gone up in smoke.
The property at 5130 Chestnut St. went back on the market two days after concerned residents packed an Upper Milford Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting.
And a request for a zoning variance for the project was withdrawn.
Now, proponents for keeping it an eatery say they are searching for investors.
The property now is listed for $790,000, Peter Adams, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach Commercial Real Estate specialist told LehighValleyNews.com.
"The property was changed from 'under contract' to 'active.'"Peter Adams, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach Commercial Real Estate specialist
At the Aug. 11 meeting, zoners listened to a applicant Jai Raskapur and Isha Patel's appeal for a zoning variance request to expand the property.
The board set a time limit on the matter to 9:30 p.m. By 9:20 p.m., the board asked Raskapur and Patel if they would agree to a continuance, pushing the matter onto the agenda for the board's Sept. 8 meeting.
Raskapur agreed but said he needed a decision that night because the sellers expected to close on the deal in early September, pending the results of the zoning meeting.
Two days later, the property went back on the market, Adams said.
The 1,893-square-foot property comes with "a hot-line including full stainless prep and hood (with ansul), two large prep and storage rooms, a business office, one large walk-in freezer and one large walk-in cooler," a service counter, dining room, patio and onsite parking for 31 vehicles, according to the listing.
"The property was changed from 'under contract' to 'active,'" Adams said.
'Appeal ... has been withdrawn'
The change in sale status didn't mean the zoning request was withdrawn, Township Manager Bud Carter said.
On Aug. 14, Raskapur told LehighValleyNews.com he had not withdrawn the request yet and "left it on the attorney," Frank D'Amore from Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, to decide the next move.
D'Amore told LehighValleyNews.com he could not provide any comment on the matter.
"We believe there's enough local interest to find business partners or investors from the community to purchase and operate it. Preserving it as the community staple it has been for decades."Upper Milford Township resident Alexander Kalogeropoulos
Four days later, Carter said the applicant withdrew the zoning variance request.
"Appeal No. 2025-02 of Jai Raskapur & Isha Patel in order to construct an addition and operate a retail store use at 5130 Chestnut St. has been withdrawn by the applicants and there is no need to continue the hearing," a message on the township's board and commissions webpage says.
Now, some residents are working to keep the ice cream shop a standing icon, Alexander Kalogeropoulos told LehighValleyNews.com in an email.
Kalogeropoulos spoke out against the proposed variance at the board's last meeting.
"We believe there's enough local interest to find business partners or investors from the community to purchase and operate it," Kalogeropoulos said. "Preserving it as the community staple it has been for decades."
'Community to come together'
The building first took shape in 1955, with Leo and Wilma Kressley opening Kressley's Cree-Mee Freeze ice cream shop a few years later.
It since has changed hands several times, but continued to operate as an ice cream shop.
"At this point, it's on us as a community to come together," Kalogeropoulos said.
"If we do nothing now and another business moves in that changes it away from an ice cream shop or brings in something counter to what the community wants, then it's our own fault for not trying.
"This is a rare chance to keep this location the iconic staple it has been for generations, and the responsibility is ours to act."
Prospective buyers who intend to preserve the restaurant can submit an interest form through The Social Station.
"This meeting was Exhibit A of the community showing up, engaging constructively and shaping a decision at the level of government that's best suited for direct citizen participation."Lehigh County Commissioner Ron Beitler
T.G. Countryside told LehighValleyNews.com, "We have no comment at this time."
Lehigh County Commissioner Ron Beitler attended the Aug. 11 meeting, and noted an influx of concern from his constituents.
Seeing the packed auditorium felt heartwarming, Beitler said, and as an elected official, he hopes to see more community involvement in local government.
"Too often, residents grow jaded, feeling their voice doesn't matter," Beitler said.
"This meeting was Exhibit A of the community showing up, engaging constructively and shaping a decision at the level of government that's best suited for direct citizen participation."
