By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

North Whitehall supervisors held a brief virtual hearing Sept. 3 to discuss the conditional use application for a major commercial development for Schnecksville along Routes 309 and 873, and Schneck Road.

Township Manager Christopher Garges reviewed standard procedures, then Solicitor Lisa Young noted the evening’s hearing was a continuation from the first hearing on Aug. 13 regarding the development project.

She said the township had received a request for continuance from the applicant, along with a waiver of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Code 90-day time period, which the township would otherwise need to comply with under state law.

Young said the request for continuance specified a new hearing date of Nov. 17.

Both supervisors in attendance, Chairman Ronald Heintzelman and Dennis Klusaritz, voted to continue the hearing until the requested date and selected 7 p.m. as the start time.

After the supervisors’ decision and the hearing’s conclusion, several residents in attendance voiced frustration with the township, both audibly and through Zoom chat, about not having their comments and questions entertained, and for not receiving further information about the continuance.

Garges repeated the township had received a continuance request, dated Aug. 31, from the applicant per the request document and had posted information about the continuance on the township website and Facebook page Sept. 2 before the virtual hearing was ended.

According to submitted documents, the development includes construction of an approximately 5,600-square-foot convenience store with gas pumps, 30,000-square-foot medical office building, 4,500-square-foot bank with drive-through, 6,800-square-foot auto part facility and an 88-unit self-storage facility.

The project is located on approximately 11.77 acres - which documents state currently consists of “vacant land, houses with garages and a motor vehicle repair facility” and will also require the razing of all buildings currently situated on the property.

Lehigh County Authority has been requested to provide public water service to the development, with an estimated usage of 2,460 gallons per day, and a permit has also been sent to Allied Utility Services for 120,000 gpd of sewage discharge to the Schnecksville North Wastewater Treatment Facility, along Schneck Road.

Route 309 Associates LLC, of Hamburg, listed as the development’s applicant, and is also listed as King’s Real Estate Group Inc. throughout the proposal.

The continued hearing is scheduled to take place 7 p.m. Nov. 17.