The Aug. 9 meeting of the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission included a mixed use development on North Krocks Road, a truck depot at 7991 Quarry Road and The Fields at Brookside.

There was a fourth applicant The Valley at Indian Creek, 3510 Macungie Road, who was removed from the agenda at the applicant’s request.

The first development discussed was a mixed-use development at North Krocks Road. The property would be across the bypass from Hamilton Crossings. The development would be independent from Hamilton Crossings.

The 54-acre property would include 12 three story buildings with 372 total units. There was a discussion about whether two access points are enough for the property.

Planning Director Nathan Jones stressed the importance of interconnectivity between the apartments and mixed use or residential buildings. Township Engineer Brian Cicak asked about the topography of the site.

The project was represented by the applicant John Guinco and Denis Keenan of French and Parrello Associates along with Tyler Krause. The property would include a clubhouse with a fitness center, business center and swimming pool.

The property would also include a 160-room hotel and two retail buildings. There would also be a dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs as well as other outdoor amenities.

The two access roads would be off Krocks Road. The southern access would be a right in, right out only. Keenan wanted to keep separation between the two access points in order to avoid queuing issues.

There was a discussion about building density as well as traffic generation. Jones asked about buffering between Route 222 and the residents on the property.

Jones said the property does not appear very walkable. There was a discussion about moving the hotel closer to the intersection of Krocks Road and Route 222 and moving the retail buildings closer to the residential buildings.

The planning commission asked if the developer had completed a traffic study. Krause said they have not completed a traffic study yet, but expects some intersection improvements at the northern access point as well as a signal at Cetronia Road.

The second development discussed was 7991 Quarry Road. The property would be a trucking facility including an office in the front and a shop in the rear with parking for the privately owned trucks and employee parking. The project was represented by Catherine Durso of Fitzpatrick Lentz and Bubba.

The property currently has access on Quarry Road, but will have access on the Sauerkraut Lane Extension once it is completed.

The planning commission wanted to make sure the property has rest areas so trucks would not park on Sauerkraut Lane or other neighborhood roads in the future if ownership changes.

There was a discussion about the stormwater and sewer plan for the property. Cicak discussed if a gravity line sewer was the right option for the property.

There was talk about the timing of the development. Durso was willing to wait for the Sauerkraut Lane Extension to be completed to receive a certificate of occupancy, but did not want to wait until the road was dedicated. A motion to recommend approval of the plan passed 5-0.

The final project discussed was the Fields at Brookside preliminary final plan. The majority of the plan is in Macungie Borough. The property is along Willow Lane by the Brookside Country Club clubhouse.

The planning commission talked about the quality of the intersection in addition to the walking trail around the property.

The project was represented by the applicant Richard Roseberry who talked about donating a portion of the golf course to the township as a conservation easement. The planning commission had some concerns over who the beneficiary would be.

It was suggested the beneficiary of the easement be the Wildlands Conservancy rather than the township to ensure it remains a conservation easement in the future. Residents in the development would have access to the walking trail either from the golf course or a road in the development.

A condition was added the conservation easement would be subject to the review and approval of the township solicitor. The motion to recommend approval of the plan passed 5-0.

The next Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meeting will be Sept. 13. 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. Both regular and workshop meetings begin 6 p.m. until the end of 2022. 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.