- Western Lehigh Services, a commercial landscaping and snow management firm, plans to expand into a new location in Lower Macungie Township
- The site at 1500 Trexlertown Road would include a main office and meeting rooms, a small nursery for display, multiple garages for vehicle storage and maintenance and material storage
- The township planning commission voiced the need to preserve historic structures and some farming on the property, along with managing flood concerns
LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — Landscape construction and snow removal company Western Lehigh Services has proposed moving the bulk of its facilities from to 1500 Trexlertown Road.
The township Planning Commission spoke about the proposed move at its meeting Tuesday. It took no formal action.
During warmer months, the company, now at 7127 Ruppsville Road, focuses on "functional outdoor spaces" in the Lehigh Valley area, encompassing planting and boulder design, pavilions, roof extensions, outdoor kitchens and other outdoor amenities.
In the winter, it specializes in salting and commercial snow removal. The site also would encompass some wholesale operations that are not anticipated to bring any significant traffic.
"We're growing at a good rate and our current operation that we worked out of was just too small anymore. When this opportunity presented itself, we thought that this would be a very good location for us to still be close to most of our work."Western Lehigh Services Vice President Jake Longenbach
Proposed for the site are a main office and meeting rooms, a small nursery for display, multiple garages for vehicle storage and maintenance, and material storage.
"We're growing at a good rate and our current operation that we worked out of was just too small anymore," company Vice President Jake Longenbach said.
"When this opportunity presented itself, we thought that this would be a very good location for us to still be close to most of our work."
Concerns, but going 'very well'
Longenbach said the company still plans to use the current property on Ruppsville Road for salt storage.
Township planning staff indicated that meetings so far with the company had gone "very well," and proposed township requests include maintaining some of the land as farming given the township's open space goals, in which the applicant noted interest.
The township also requested the preservation of historic structures on the property along the creek dating to the original Trexlertown village.
A concern noted was ensuring materials such as salt and mulch are far separated from the Spring Creek floodplain because of their polluting potential.
Officials also noted the desire for an easement for a future trail along the creek.
Planners anticipated its likely recommendation at their next meeting.
The meeting also saw continued discussions on the proposed multi-campus Al Maqasid expansion, the conversion of a barn to legally house an apartment at 1740 Spring Creek Road, and granted a modification for sidewalk plans at the Beit Simcha Ministry House at 111 Grange Road.
