The May 17 workshop meeting of the Lower Macungie Planning Commission began with an update on the Air Products campus redevelopment in Upper Macungie Township.

Planning Director Nathan Jones said Air Products had asked the planning commission to hold off on any discussion until they were further along on the design.

Jones added that based on the preliminary plans there would be no traffic impact on Hamilton Boulevard and the property would have large vegetative berms similar to the Uline property.

Air Products plans to come before the planning commission and give a presentation later this summer or fall.

Commissioners discussed if they should complete the entire zoning look back before sending it to the board of commissioners or if they should send it in smaller pieces as it is completed.

Planning Commissioner Wesley Barrett asked about connectivity between different parts of the zoning ordinance and how changes in one part might affect other parts of the ordinance.

Planning commissioners decided to send the ordinance to the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners in smaller parts so they can review it and provide comments. The planning commission would then submit the complete ordinance at the end.

There was a discussion about requested zoning map changes.

One request was off Brookside Road by the post office. The individual who owned the parking lot wanted the property to be changed from the Suburban Zone to the Urban Zone so he could build townhomes.

Further down Brookside Road there was a request to change a pair of residential homes to the Village District Zone. Jones felt increasing the land available for commercial development would take interest away from commercial development on Hamilton Boulevard.

The June planning commission meeting will have four applicants; Wawa Drive-Thru, 3500 Brookside Road apartments, Brookside Dental and Woodmont Phase II, in addition to the zone change requests.

Jones also said the applicant on the north side of Krocks Road across the bypass from Hamilton Crossings has shown interest in a multiuse development.

The next Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meeting will be June 14.

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. There will not be a workshop in June.

Workshops begin 6 p.m. while regular meetings begin 7 p.m. Currently all planning commission meetings are held both in person and over Zoom with a video recording uploaded to the Lower Macungie Township YouTube channel after the fact.