North Whitehall planners review plan for warehouse near Orefield Middle School

NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Another controversial warehouse plan has arrived in Lehigh County.

The North Whitehall Planning Commission discussed a proposal Tuesday to build a 547,500-square-foot, 50-foot-tall warehouse at 3121 Route 309, about a half-mile north of Orefield Middle School.

The 71-acre site is largely undeveloped and contains an existing residence, farmland and woodland.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission recently voted to recommend against the project, saying it is not consistent with Future LV, the LVPC's vision for the region.

But that plan is not law, and according to Jeff Mouer, North Whitehall's director of operations, the use is permitted under township law.

John Pollock, director of warehouse development company Trammell Crow, said the company would try to mitigate any negative impacts from the warehouse.

“We want to be thoughtful developers; we want to be responsible neighbors,” Pollock said. “We want to hear your [the planning commission] input, we want to hear input from residents.

About 50 people attended the meeting, many of whom expressed opposition to the project.

The main concerns were congestion on Route 309, the safety impact of having more tractor-trailers on a road so close to schools and the impact on the environment.

The warehouse would be built “on spec,” meaning the developer does not have a tenant for the building.

Truck traffic in the area

At the LVPC's May 23 meeting, although the commission issued an unfavorable recommendation, it acknowledged that the warehouse project is permitted under the municipality's zoning ordinances.

The proposed parcel of land is zoned for light industrial uses such as warehousing, meaning the township cannot prevent such projects from being built.

But LVPC members still didn't think the project was a good fit for the area, particularly because of the volume of traffic generated by the proposed warehouse project.

It is estimated that it will generate an average of 903 vehicle trips per day, including 600 passenger vehicles and 303 trucks.

“I realized that with the number of vehicle trips per day – almost 1,000 – I hope North Whitehall Township knows how many more it will take to take care of its roads,” Steve Melnick said , member of the LVPC, during this meeting.

“I can only imagine what’s going to happen to these roads.”

But at Tuesday's meeting, Pollack said similar warehouse projects currently operating generate only about half of the planned vehicle trips.

He also argued that the traffic generated would not affect the roads as much as people feared.

“Without this project, it’s a high-traffic corridor,” Pollack said. “Our numbers look scary. They represent only a drop in the ocean in the volume of traffic on the 309 in this sector.

Several residents said the road could not handle the extra traffic.

“I can't get out of my driveway because people won't let you out,” said Karen Cate, who lives along Route 309.

The traffic engineer in charge of the project said PennDOT's Route 309 improvement project will help alleviate current congestion on the road.

The project will include new traffic signals at six intersections. PennDOT will also widen roads, install 8-foot shoulders and add new turn lanes at intersections.

Under the current plan, some warehouse trucks would head onto Orefield Road to turn left at the light onto Route 309.

This intersection is one of those to be improved as part of the improvement project.

Orefield Road resident George Singerline said the two-lane road could not safely handle the influx of trucks.

“Someone is going to get hurt, and it’s probably going to be me,” Singerline said.

Other concerns

Planning Commission Vice Chairman Robert Korp told the audience that the township must have multiple zones for each type of use in its zoning ordinances — no matter how much community members might not not appreciate them.

“If a warehouse is going to be allowed somewhere — and it is, we're not allowed to have just one — this is probably the best location for it,” Korp said.

But Korp also said he thought the site's design was “shortsighted and insufficient.”

“We’re going to have to see more,” Korp said. “There's a lot more to prove here. Just because a warehouse can be here doesn't mean it shouldn't be here.

“There are many other profitable land uses that would have less detrimental impacts on the community's surrounding road network. »

Planning Commission member Kathy Crawford asked if there would be facilities such as showers or sleeping areas for truck drivers.

“In this area there is a huge shortage of truck driver facilities, overnight parking or rest areas,” Crawford said.

Catherine Durso, an attorney with Trammell Crow, responded: “Part of the problem is that what you're describing is not a warehouse. It's a trucking terminal that most places don't want, that's why everyone has this problem.

Crawford said: “I completely understand, I don't want a truck terminal or truck stop near my house either.

“But the fact is that these truckers, when they don’t have that, stop on the roads. They don't have a place to throw the trash, so they get out of their truck. There's nowhere to use the facilities, so I'll leave it at that.

Crawford said some area warehouses provide showers for truck drivers. Pollock said it was difficult to require tenants to provide that.

North Whitehall resident Nicholas Smith lives near the UNFI warehouse in Schnecksville. He said he understands that people need jobs, but he also believes the warehouse has made his quality of life worse.

“Before that, in Schnecksville, poor or rich, from your property you could appreciate the local environment. You can’t do it anymore,” Smith said.

Staff writer Phil Gianficaro contributed to this report.