- Limiting the influx of warehouses is the key issue of each of the candidates for Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors
- Incubents Amy L. Templeton and Robert J. Hoyer and newcomer Nancy Teague are running to fill the two empty seats
- No warehouse project in the township has been denied since 2019
LOWER NAZARETH TWP., Pa. — The primary concern of each of the three candidates running for a seat on the Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors can be described in one word: Warehouses.
Republican incumbents Amy L. Templeton and Robert J. Hoyer, and Democratic newcomer Nancy Teague are running for two open seats on the board. Both are six-year terms.
All say they are focused on limiting the influx of warehouses for which several developers are working to gain township approval.
According to Lori B. Seese, Lower Nazareth Township Planning & Zoning administrator and building code official, six warehouses have been approved to date since 2019, but none this year.
No warehouse projects have been denied since 2019, Seese said.
In February, supervisors began working to amend the township zoning ordinance to limit warehouse construction to areas designated as general industrial.
General industrial areas include previously built warehouses along Hanoverville Road near the former Dutch Springs, along Route 248 in the township’s northeast corner, and a narrow strip near Georgetown Road on the border with Upper Nazareth.
Here is a look at the candidates:
AMY L. TEMPLETON
Templeton, who was elected to the board of supervisors in 2017, said warehouses are high on her list of issues in the township.
“They’re in our face right now,” she said. “It’s really been on my mind, the warehouses. Nobody wants them.
“Beyond that, we’re concerned about preserving land. In my six years or so on the board, we’ve honed in on improving and preserving the land we have.”
Templeton said the current board has worked with township landowners to preserve the farmland that developers are trying to buy and build warehouses on.
“They’re in our face right now ... nobody wants them."Amy L. Templeton, Lower Nazareth Township supervisor
“But it’s not easy,” she said. “A developer can give landowners more money than what we say preservation can do.
"It comes down to the landowner to decide — go for top dollar or do what’s best for the community. We need to preserve what we have.”
A native of Mount Bethel Township, Templeton, 41, for eight years has been employed as a real estate agent, currently for Home Team Real Estate in Bethlehem.
In February, supervisors amended the zoning code regarding warehouses to bar such development from light industrial areas.
“We did that as a safeguard,” she said. “But we had to advertise that we were going to change zoning 30 days before we changed it. That tipped off developers.
“The day before we amended it, we had three applications from warehouse developers, who are privileged to the old ordinance. Now, we have to listen to what they say prior to the ordinance change.
"And they’ll be going after areas that will cause gridlock for residential homes.”
A member of the township park and recreation board, Templeton also is focused on improving those areas for residents. An independent agency polled residents and found they wanted improved areas for biking and walking, she said.
ROBERT J. HOYER
Hoyer, 72, is a 49-year township resident who owns Buzas’ Greenhouse and Farm on Newburg Road in the township.
Hoyer was chosen in 2018 to fill a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors after the death of LeRoy Bickert in April that year.
Hoyer previously served as a township supervisor 1986-92.
Hoyer said his experience serving township residents is not only what drew him back into civil service but why he believes he is best positioned among his fellow candidates to address his constituents' needs.
“Lower Nazareth Township already has more than its share of warehouses.”Robert J. Hoyer, Lower Nazareth Township supervisor
“I have the experience,” he said. “I’ve served on a number of committees. I’ve lived here for more than 40 years. I run a family owned business here. I know the issues here.”
Hoyer said he believes the greatest challenge facing residents is the influx of warehouses in the township, such as the proposed 73,000-square-foot structure on Lonat Drive near Route 191 and Nazareth Pike and also a 450,000-square-foot warehouse at Northampton Farms on Nazareth Pike, less than a half-mile away.
“Those warehouses would increase traffic, noise and congestion,” Hoyer said. “Lower Nazareth Township already has more than its share of warehouses.”
Asked whether he believes township residents share his concerns, he said, “Yes, they do.”
NANCY TEAGUE
Teague, 44, is an 11-year resident of Lower Nazareth and mother of two school-aged children.
While she has been a volunteer in the township as a Girl Scouts troop leader and Cub Scouts den mother and with the Lehigh Valley Zoo, she said she never intended to run for elective office.
The influx of warehouses in the township changed that.
“That’s my biggest concern,” Teague said. “There’s an imbalance of warehouses in Lower Nazareth Township compared to the Lehigh Valley.
“Also, the time it took the current board to recognize the situation; it took them time to amend the ordinances.”
A vote on the amendment is pending.
“That’s my biggest concern."Nancy Teague, candidate, Lower Nazareth Township Board of Supervisors
“The traffic and noise effects on these residential neighborhoods that will be adjacent to warehouses are a major concern,” Teague said.
“This all goes to the township planning. I believe in progress and planning. But we have so many warehouses.
"If we continue putting a majority of that industry in one basket, what happens when warehouses find a better tax break in another township? We’re stuck with these concrete buildings. We need to diversify.”
Teague could not say whether Templeton or Hoyer have been effective supervisors. However, she believes she would provide the board with a fair vision of how the township should move going forward.
“I feel I have something to add,” she said. “I want to do things to help the township. I want our children to be safe. I want schools to flourish.
“If I get the opportunity to serve on the board, I will protect our small-town feel. I love Lower Nazareth Township — the tree-lighting ceremony, the events in the park. I will give everyone a fair shake.”
