South Whitehall planners met virtually on April 16 with a short agenda due to social distancing rules caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

One item on their agenda was a subdivision review for Phase 4 of the Parkland Manor Senior Living campus, 4636 Crackersport Road, at the site of the former West End Racquet Club.

The applicant proposes to construct a four-story, 94,000-square-foot senior living building with 16 studio apartments, 64 single-bedroom units and an 88-space parking lot.

Township Planner Gregg Adams noted that commissioners had granted preliminary plan approval in December 2019, and that the planning commission’s final approval was recommended subject to the applicant, Pennsylvania Venture Capital, complying with several conditions.

Adams said one new condition was added just before the evening’s meeting which stated that the applicant would dedicate a utility easement to the township to access a water meter pit.

Priya Atiyeh, vice president of Manors of the Valley, and engineer Bill Erdman described the property and addressed comments by planning commission members.

“Our proposed project would really continue our continuum of care that we have on the campus,” Atiyeh said, noting how Parkland Manor has multiple buildings to provide different living services, health care and activities for residents. “We think this would be perfectly suited on this campus and be able to provide the activities for all that live on that campus, and really respect and reflect the local surrounding area.”

Erdman said most comments regarding the Phase 4 building were “minor cleanup issues” and that most had been recently resolved.

He said the new condition calling for an additional easement dedication would not be a problem and that the developers had been in contact with LANTA about providing ridership services to the area.

Erdman said the transportation authority “fully intends” to revisit the service subject once the facility and other nearby building projects come online.

Planning Commission Chairman William MacNair asked Atiyeh about how the residents of the senior living facility were doing given the current COVID-19 crisis, and inquired about how the building’s HVAC unit would address respiratory issues.

Atiyeh said there were no coronavirus cases at Parkland Manor and that precautions were being taken to keep staff and residents safe including monitoring staff members’ temperature, mandatory mask-wearing protocols, maintaining contact with health providers and having a “plethora” of sanitizer and supplies available.

She also noted the planned HVAC system, which will be installed in all buildings, is focused on air filtration and resembles units installed in pediatric hospitals.

After hearing the applicant’s presentations, the planning commission granted final approval for the plan - with the addition of a new condition regarding a second, previously unnoticed utility easement - and granted several waiver requests for specific sections of the township’s SALDO ordinances regarding the location, size and ownership of certain manmade features on the property.