The Jan. 14 meeting of the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission began with reorganization. Tom Biel was elected chairperson and John Hammer was elected vice chairperson. Tim Pickle was chosen as secretary. Wesley Barrett also joined the planning commission after serving on the Emmaus Borough Council for 13 years.

One project discussed was Jaindl Commercial Park North. The project would be a four-story building with a restaurant and office space. Parking would be behind the building. There was a conversation about including a flashing signal and stamped crosswalk as a part of the crosswalk on the property.

The planning commission wanted shielding of view from headlights near the access drive. There was a discussion about the buffer yards and signage setback. The project was represented by Tom Harper of Zator Law. Harper said the desire to bring Class A office space might require some additional height for structural support.

He said companies want as much clear space in office buildings as possible so structural supports are added between floors and in walls. The property plans to have 242 parking spaces. This is less than the 307 required parking spaces, but Harper explained joint use parking would make up the difference.

He said that the number of seats in the restaurant will be reduced to 100, bringing the recommended number of parking spots to 270 and joint use will reduce it to 242. Harper explained the plans are to use shrubbery in addition to signage to make sure people use the crosswalk when crossing the street on the property.

Local businessman Lloyd Jones voiced concerns about the project. Jones owns a pair of office buildings adjacent to the project. Jones was worried about the excessive height of the building and felt the signage could cause safety issues for vehicles leaving his property.

He was also concerned about the excessive noise and smell coming from the restaurant. Jones wanted to make sure restaurant patrons and office workers at the new building wouldn’t park on his property.

A motion was approved unanimously sending a letter to the zoning hearing board recognizing the planning commission has no planning or engineering objections to the project.

The next project discussed was Shepherds Corner. The project would be located on Hamilton Boulevard and is represented by Bud Newton of Newton Engineering and Erich Shock of Fitzpatrick Lentz and Bubba. The property would include a bank, office building and a commercial strip.

There would be generous sidewalks on the property and the possibility of an outdoor eating area in the future. The planning commission said they wanted buildings to be closer to the street. Shock said the buildings were originally mixed use. There was a discussion about the access road on the back of the property. The project was tabled until the next meeting.

Another project discussed was the Air Products Manufacturing Facility. The project will be located at Schoeneck Road. Planning Director Nathan Jones explained the project would be a two story building with room for future expansion. The property would have four bay doors that would be generously buffered.

There was discussion about a buffer for the south side of the property. The project was represented by Matthew Greer from Air Products and Thomas Dredge of Langan Engineering. Greer said the property would be involved in light manufacturing.

Greer made it clear all of the impacts of the project would be significantly less than the previous warehouse plan that would have been built on the property. In addition to signage, Greer said communication is essential to prevent trucks from heading south after leaving the property. Greer also said he wanted to separate passenger vehicles from truck traffic on the property. There was a discussion about improving the intersection at Alburtis and Schoeneck roads. The project was tabled until the next meeting.

The next Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meeting will be Feb. 11. Usually the planning commission meets the second Tuesday of every month and occasionally there is a workshop meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. The planning commission meetings take place 7 p.m. and are in the township municipal building.