A garden apartment project proposed for East Emmaus Avenue has again been tabled by the Salisbury Township Planning Commission.

And the project may have to go back before the Salisbury Township Zoning Hearing Board.

Meanwhile, township zoners at the 7 p.m. April 13 hearing will consider Western Salisbury Fire Company’s proposal to raze its building and construct a new facility at the site. Additional details are listed below.

Township planners voted 6-0, with one commission member absent at the March 23 meeting, to table the preliminary site plan for NuVision Properties, LLC for the land development plan at 1493 E. Emmaus Ave. The project proposes to convert an existing structure into 12 garden apartment units. The property is in the R4, Medium Density Residential zoning district.

Planner Jessica Klocek made the motion, seconded by Planner Richard Hassick, to vote on tabling the plan.

Planners also voted 6-0 to table the NuVision preliminary site plan at the Dec. 14, 2021, meeting.

NuVision Properties, LLC, the developer, is represented by Attorney William G. Malkames, on behalf of Julius Ewungkem and Frank Ndi, NuVision owners.

The building was previously an eight unit group home owned and operated by Eastern Comfort Assisted Living II, Inc.

The 32,450-square-foot building has a central hallway on each of its two floors.

Each apartment is to be one-bedroom. One room in each of the two-bedroom living quarters will be converted for use as a kitchen. Each apartment will be 504-square-feet to 572-square-feet.

Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer read from his March 15 review letter, which he said had 15 general comments about the plan, including:

- Five parking spaces are shown on the plan that are in a future right of way of South Fairview Road and East Emmaus Avenue.

- A five-foot-wide parking setback from the right of way is prohibited.

- Tettemer said he would have no engineering objection to combining the preliminary and final plan.

- Tettemer said he would have no engineering objection to a waiver from depicting man-made features 100 feet from the site.

- Tettemer said he would have no engineering objection to a waiver from submitting an erosion and sedimentation control plan to the Lehigh County Conservation District.

Salisbury Township Planning and Zoning Officer Kerry H. Rabold read from her March 17 review letter, which she said had eight items concerning the plan, including:

- Off-street parking must have adequate illumination.

Salisbury Township Director of Fire Services: Dustin Grow submitted a March 23 memo, that included:

- Fire lane designation approved.

“The development is going to have to go to the zoning hearing board and get some approvals,” Tettemer said.

“You’re gong to have to put in the sidewalks and curbs,” Planning Commission Chairman Charles Beck told the developers.

“We’ve been lax on curbs on the east side until this point,” Planning Commission Vice Chairman Richard Schreiter said.

Klocek recommended a recreation fee of $2,000 per unit be charged as part of the approval for the plan.

During the public comment portion, resident Patricia Yemm said, “Their [the proposed apartments] parking lot sits about 2 1/2-feet higher than Emmaus Avenue.”

The project date for consideration by planners is June 30.

Also at the March 23 meeting:

- Planners voted 6-0 to grant an extension for review until June 21 for the recording of final plans for a minor subdivision at 1453 Lehigh Ave. The proposed project was conditionally approved by planners May 11, 2021. Planner Frank Frankenfield made the motion, seconded by Klocek, to bring it to a vote.

- Planners voted 6-0 to grant an extension for review until June 21 for the recording of final plans for a minor subdivision at 839 E. Lynnwood St. The proposed project was conditionally approved by planners Feb. 9, 2021. Frankenfield made the motion, seconded by Klocek, to bring it to a vote.

At the March 23 planning meeting, Rabold discussed proposed amendments to the township zoning ordinance concerning an open space development option for land partially in a CR District and a cluster housing development option.

The township planning commission is next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. April 27 in the meeting room of the township municipal building.

Planners voted 6-0 to approve the lot consolidation of 1644 Cardinal Drive and 1646 Cardinal Drive, two vacant residential lots, submitted by Fabian Cedeno. The project proposes to make one lot of 6,500 square feet in the R4 Medium Density zoning district.

The project is on the agenda of the 7 p.m. April 13 zoning hearing board in the meeting room of the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

Cedeno is appealing for a variance to construct a single-family detached dwelling at 1644 Cardinal Drive. The variance request is for a second front-yard setback (25 feet required; 9 feet proposed).

Also on the April 13 zoning board agenda:

- Appeal of Oak Restaurants, LLC, 3380 Lehigh St., for a special exception to raze the existing structure and construct a new 2,722-square-foot, 52-seat, fast-food restaurant.

The applicant also seeks a favorable interpretation regarding the reconstruction of an existing nonconforming structure.

In the alternative, the applicant seeks variances for paved area setback (10 feet required; 6 feet proposed), for trees to be planted within the parking lot island along Lehigh Street (one required; none proposed), for designated loading spaces (one required; none proposed) and for street trees to be planted along Lehigh Street (six to eight required; none proposed). The property is in the C3, General Commercial zoning district.

- Appeal of Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company, 950 S. Ott St., for a special exception to raze the existing structure and construct a new 7,511-square-feet firehouse. The applicant also seeks a favorable interpretation regarding the reconstruction of an existing nonconforming structure.

In the alternative, the applicant also seeks variances from: minimum lot size (1 acre required; 0.75 acre proposed), for impervious coverage (50 percent permitted; 59 percent proposed), for side yard setback (50 feet required; 12.83 feet proposed), for parking lot illumination (1 foot candle required; less than 1 foot candle proposed), for driving aisle (24 feet required; 22 feet proposed), for paved area setback from building (5 feet required; 0 feet proposed, for deciduous trees to be planted (four required; none proposed), for parking lot screening (4 feet-high required; 0 feet proposed) and for fire lanes (one required; none proposed). The property is in the R2, Low Density Residential zoning district.

The Salisbury Township Planning Commission is next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. April 27 in the meeting room of the municipal building.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners is next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. April 14 in the meeting room of the municipal building.