Although the Hellertown Borough Council hoped to provide its members and administrative staff with an August break, the possibility of upcoming action by their Lower Saucon Township counterparts necessitated the parties briefly convene in a special meeting on the evening of Aug. 15.

With an upcoming Lower Saucon public hearing on a zoning ordinance that could pave the way for a controversial plan to expand the township’s Bethlehem Landfill, Hellertown councilors voted unanimously to authorize Solicitor Michael Corierre to “take the necessary steps to intervene” if the township advances zoning ordinance 2023-05.

The objection would assert that any development resulting from rezoning the 275-acre forest violates conservation easements, the 2020 Saucon Valley Joint Comprehensive Plan, and a recent Lehigh Valley Planning Commission review letter’s recommendations.

Citizens for Responsible Development spokesperson and Lower Saucon Township Council candidate Victoria Opthof-Cordaro joined the meeting to express her support for the resolution, as well as to inform the borough that several township residents had just filed a civil suit that also referenced the same conservation easement provisions.