The July 12 meeting of the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission involved five developments. One additional development, Brookside Meadows Apartments, was removed from the agenda at the applicant’s request. The development would have been at 3500 Brookside Road.

The first development discussed was Stone Hill Meadows Phase IV. The current plan for the development is to take access off Gehman Road and include a single cul-de-sac. Lot 16 on the property would consist of the existing historic home. The property would include 15 home lots.

The planning commission discussed buffering with the applicant. Township Engineer Bryan Cicak discussed the issue of grading and was concerned about the removal of trees on the property. The property was represented by Engineer Justin Moceri of Wilkinson & Associates.

Township resident Mike Seigel wanted to make sure there was room in the rear of the properties for accessory structures. Seigel was concerned residents moving into the property would damage the riparian buffer to add accessory structures.

Resident Ken Martin spoke about flooding in Phase II of Stone Hill Meadows and said the developer does not have the best track record with residents.

The planning commission suggested Moceri solve the stormwater issue in the earlier stages before returning to the planning commission. No action was required.

Another development discussed was Woodmont Phase II. There was discussion about pedestrian access, emergency access and buffering on the project. Cicak talked about stormwater issues on the property.

The property was represented by Attorney Catherine Durso, of Fitzpatrick Lentz and Bubba along with Steve Varnackes.

The planning commission wanted to make sure the two mixed use buildings would be completed in a timely manner. Varnackes felt the two multiuse buildings on the property would be more complicated than the carriage homes. He suggested being able to start construction on half of the carriage homes before substantial completion of the two multiuse buildings.

There was a discussion about the frontage of the property. There was a motion to recommend approval of the preliminary and final plan which passed 4-0.

Another development discussed was 7991 Quarry Road. The access for the property would be taken from the Sauerkraut Lane Extension. The property would be a truck terminal for drivers making local deliveries. There was talk about the landscaping and buffers on the property.

There was also a discussion about sewer line access and stormwater flow on the property. The project was represented by Engineer Sean Policelli of Gilmore and Associates and Durso.

Employees at the property would drive their own cars to work and use company trucks to complete their deliveries. Policelli said he was hoping to get a building permit for temporary access to the site for construction since the Sauerkraut Lane Extension has not been finished.

Seigel talked about making sure trucks don’t travel down Sauerkraut Lane when making deliveries. Policelli said this would be feasible since there would be no third party or contract drivers on the site. The discussion was tabled.

The next development discussed was 5502 and 5518 Hamilton Blvd. The property was previously going to be a gym, but the current plan is for it to become a dentist office. There was a possibility of moving the building closer to the street.

The project was represented by Bud Newton, of Newton Engineering and Dr. Jose Gil. There was a discussion of the stormwater plan for the property. The planning commission advised looking for trees other than Sycamore trees since there would be utility wires above them and smaller trees would be better suited to the location.

Seigel talked about alternative options for stormwater issues such as pervious pavement and green roofs. The discussion was tabled for the night.

The final development discussed was Mill Creek Pointe Apartments. The property is located at 6300 Lower Macungie Road. The plan is for a two phase apartment complex with 30 apartment buildings and a community building with a pool. The property would have trails along both Lower Macungie Road and Spring Creek Road. There was a discussion about the stormwater basin and swale on the property.

The planning commission asked about the amount of parking on the property and the idea of having parking in reserve was discussed. There was also a discussion about the project’s traffic study.

It was decided the applicant would come back before the planning commission in either September or October.

Seigel had some concerns about parents cutting through the neighborhood to get to Spring Creek Road and avoid traffic during pick up and drop off at Lower Macungie Middle School. A suggestion was made to put a fence around the swale on the property to avoid trespassers. The discussion was tabled until next meeting.

The next Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meeting will be Aug. 9. 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 is a workshop meeting Aug. 16.

Workshops begin 6 p.m. while meetings begin 7 p.m. and currently all planning commission meetings will be held both in person and over Zoom with a video recording uploaded to the township’s YouTube channel after the fact.