Lehigh Valley planners criticize plans for Lowhill Township warehouse

A revised plan for a warehouse in Lowhill Township that has been part of a legal fight received a less-than-stellar reception from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Planning Committee.

The proposal at 7503 Kernsville Road for a 100,569-square-foot building from developer Core5 at Route 100 LLC was criticized by planners at Tuesday’s meeting for using agricultural land and its location near a tricky intersection.

The developers and the township are fighting over this project, along with two others in Lowhill, in court. Core5 also wants to build a 312,000-square-foot warehouse at 2766 Route 100, while CRG Services Management LLC wants to build a 299,800-square-foot warehouse at 2951 Betz Court.

In presenting a draft letter to the committee, Regional Planner Joey Dotta noted the Kernsville Road building was reviewed by the LVPC in June 2023 when it was planned to cover 190,960 square feet. The current plan reduces the structure by 47% and condenses development toward the southwestern-most portion of the lot.

The site is undeveloped agricultural land and would be “significantly impacted by the scale of the development,” Dotta said. Neighboring properties include a residential neighborhood and a day care center.

Under the LVPC’s FutureLV: The Master Plan, it is recommended that such land remain agricultural.

Committee member Bob Elbich, a former Lehigh County commissioner who lives in the area, was worried whether tractor-trailers would be able to make the sharp left turn onto Route 100 to access Interstate 78. He also wondered about truckers who may try to access Route 309 via Kernsville Road, about 4 miles away in North Whitehall Township.

“If this project goes forward, both the Route 100 and Kernsville Road intersection and as well as the Route 309 and Kernsville intersection are absolutely horrible with respect to tractor-trailers transiting those areas I travel every single day,” Elbich said. “The issues with regard to tractor-trailers trying to negotiate the turns [at Route 100 and Kernsville Road], it would have to be a totally rebuilt intersection to be able to make this a viable project.”

Lowhill is updating its zoning under the Northern Lehigh Multimunicipal Comprehensive Plan with neighboring municipalities, but the plans for the warehouse will fall under the current zoning.

“It’s zoned for industrial and it’s obvious this is one of the warehouse proposals, or industrial proposals, that really kind of coalesce the community around updating their zoning,” LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said. “The zoning updates are happening now, and this came in before that. So they’re in a situation where it’s zoned industrial, so they have to allow some industrial there. The township has to work with the developer to make this as good as possible.”

In August, Lehigh County Judge Michele Varricchio upheld a denial of the Kernsville Road warehouse by Lowhill supervisors. Core 5 claimed that because the township didn’t properly appoint Curtis Dietrich as supervisor, its denial was ineffective and the court should deem the warehouse approved.

Varricchio previously ruled that Dietrich’s appointment was defective because the township didn’t spend enough time trying to fill the vacant supervisor position after Robb Werley resigned. However, Varricchio ruled that the supervisors’ denial was valid because Dietrich was a de facto official at the time and had the authority to act.

Core5 is appealing and arguments are scheduled for Oct. 3.

The LVPC’s letter will be presented to the full LVPC during Thursday’s meeting. That meeting will be held at 7 p.m.

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com .