- Developers of a proposed parking lot project in Bethlehem Township have another year to meet land development conditions for the project after the township board of commissioners voted to grant an extension Tuesday night
- The lot would be used by e-commerce giant Amazon as a place to store delivery vans overnight and give delivery drivers a place to park during their shifts
- Such extensions are common in the often complex land development process, according to township officials
BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. — Developers behind a proposed Amazon parking lot in Bethlehem Township have more time to comply with requirements, after the township board of commissioners voted Tuesday night to grant the project a one-year extension.
If the plans are ultimately approved, a vacant 5.7-acre lot at Brodhead and Mowrer roads would become a 248-space parking lot. The lot would house some of Amazon’s gray delivery vans overnight, and give delivery drivers a place to park personal cars during their shifts.
Developer J.G. Petrucci Company, of Asbury, New Jersey, now will have until September of next year to meet more than a dozen conditions attached to the project’s approval, among them stormwater management improvements, modifications to landscaping and lighting plans and various administrative tasks.
The company must also secure a suite of permits from organizations outside the township; which permits are necessary varies by project, but may include environmental permits from the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection or sewer permits from the township Municipal Authority.
Under the township’s rules for new construction, developers typically have one year to meet the stipulations of land development or the agreement is voided. Without the extension, the clock would have run out for the Mowrer Rd. project later this month.
It is a "standard extension request."Board of Commissioners President John Merhottein
Extensions like the one granted Tuesday are common in the land development process, according to Amanda Jensen, the township’s community development director. When introducing the proposed extension, Board of Commissioners President John Merhottein called it a “standard extension request.”
In June 2022, the board of commissioners voted 4-1 to allow the parking lot project under township zoning rules. The following September, the board granted land development approval allowing the project to move forward, provided a list of conditions were met.
JG Petrucci Co. has been responsible for a host of projects in the Lehigh Valley, like the St. Luke’s Richard A. Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township, the Easton Intermodal Transportation Center, Palmerview Apartments in Palmer Township, and others.
Members of the board voted unanimously to approve the extension at Tuesday’s meeting, without much discussion from board members or township residents in attendance beforehand.
