SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Developers are nearly ready to seek final approval for Willows at Calvary, a two-building mixed-income apartment complex on Calvary Temple property, South Whitehall Township Planning Commission was told Thursday.
The church and its development partner, Ingerman Construction Management, plan to build a pair of four-story structures on the roughly 16-acre lot, holding a combined 48 apartments and roughly 24,000 square feet of space.
More than four-fifths of the apartments — 40 out of 48 — will be rented to only low-income tenants.Ingerman Construction Management
To give tenants somewhere to park, the proposal calls for 11 two-car garages in each building, plus additional carports and surface parking.
In all, the complex will include 14 one-bedroom apartments, 22 two-bedroom units and 12 three-bedroom units.
More than four-fifths of the apartments — 40 out of 48 — will be rented to only low-income tenants.
In early discussions, leaders from Calvary Temple prioritized affordable housing as a way to carry out the church’s mission while also creating a new source of revenue, said Geoff Long, a development principal with Ingerman Construction Management working on the project.
Calvary Temple still will own the land beneath the finished apartments; a joint venture formed by the church and Ingerman will own the buildings and lease the underlying land from Calvary Temple.
Ingerman will manage the complex once tenants move in.
Update on project
Township planning and engineering staff told the planning commission Thursday that the project is not ready for approval because of several outstanding issues.
The biggest roadblock right now, township officials said, is a handful of outstanding zoning issues, most of which deal with buffer requirements, driveway configurations and rules requiring screening of a property.
“We’re not going to let them cut any corners.”South Whitehall Planning Commission member David Wilson
Once the developers’ and township’s engineers work out a few remaining details, Long said, the project will comply with township zoning rules and need no variances to proceed.
With plan approval off the table Thursday, representatives for Calvary Temple and Ingerman Construction Management used the meeting to update planning commissioners on their project before seeking final approval at a future meeting.
Most substantially, their proposal has shrunk from 120 apartments several years ago to 48 in its current form.
During the meeting, several residents living near the church raised concerns about flooding and stormwater management concerns.
Both the developer’s engineer and planning commission member David Wilson assured residents that the property will release less runoff once the apartments, and their associated stormwater infrastructure, are built.
“We understand the storm water and flooding is a major concern,” Wilson said. “We’re not going to let them cut any corners.”
Residents also worried that offering affordable housing in the neighborhood, or a plan to employ a part-time social services coordinator at the apartment complex could harm the surrounding community.
Once the developers confirm with township staff that their plans comply with zoning rules, they can return to the planning commission for their recommendation on whether to approve the planned apartments.
Authority to approve or deny land development approval rests with the township’s board of commissioners, which can follow or ignore the planning commission’s recommendation.
