To the Editor:

The commissioners of Lower Macungie Township should be commended for purchasing the Wiener Tract on Sauerkraut Lane and Brookside Road for farming.

Unfortunately our commissioners plan to sell easements on the entire tract to defray part of the purchase price.

Selling farmland easements prohibits all use except farming. A better option which I suggested to our commissioners last month, is to retain 100 acres along the stream for a park at a later date. This land would be contiguous with the present township recreational land.

Imagine a 200-acre farm in the middle of West End Allentown. It did not happen. I see a park along the Swabia Creek similar to the Cedar Creek Park along Cedar Creek Stream; the vision of General Trexler years ago.

The new change in zoning referred as the East Texas Overlay Zoning is interesting and should be explained.

The Weiner Tract, at the corner of Brookside Road and Lower Macungie Road, was originally approved under Article 1300 as a Neighborhood Convenience Center with 6,000 square feet of stores. The plan was not recorded as a final plan but had preliminary approval for five years. At the end of five years with no notice to Dr. Wiener, township supervisors rescinded the plan. Other neighborhood convenience centers were proposed at that time: A - at Wild Cherry Lane and Lower Macungie Road and B - at Brookside Road and Sauerkraut Lane.

Our supervisors did not like the neighborhood concept; plan A and B were mutually canceled with the developers behind closed doors.

Article 1300 allowed neighborhood commercial use of 3,000 square feet at major intersection; gas stations were excluded.

The zoning plan by Urban Research and Development of 1973 was superior in many ways of our current zoning. Industrial zoning allowed commercial use; now it is not possible. The zoning of one house per 10 acres is now in effect for agricultural zoning brought the Jaindl debacle. Jaindl purchased 474 acres after the zoning change of 1988 on the cheap; the land had no value. Now it is appraised by the county for $120,000 per acre for warehouses. Through litigation by Jaindl, Lower Macungie changed the Jaindl land to industrial zoning. More important than anything else is the zoning of existing land next to Jaindl where large warehouses now exist is land zoned one house per 10 acres. This zoning should now be changed.

Lower Macungie Township, by way of transfer taxes and property taxes on 474 acres of land appraised at $120,000 per acre, has a new revenue stream. With additional funds from traffic impact fees at $2,560,000 per trip and building permit fees, Lower Macungie has funds to purchase a minimum of 100 acres for a park.

Ira Lehrich

Allentown