LehighValleyNews has an interesting, 5-part series on the warehousing boom in the Lehigh Valley. Although we all (myself included) love to order online, few of us are happy with the increased truck traffic, traffic congestion and loss of farmland that big boxes bring. And with laws that favor developers and development, local municipalities have had a difficult time stopping them.
As noted in this series, one thing municipalities can do is develop a multi-municipal plan. That's one way to restrict warehousing to one of the participating jurisdictions, hopefully one close to a major highway. Another benefit is that a participating jurisdiction can impose impact fees for the damage done to local roads caused by large trucks moving to and from a warehouse.
Efforts in Harrisburg to slow these product depots appear likely to fail, especially when the person proposing changes (Mike Scholssberg) considers them "a net positive."
But is it too late? Last year alone, NorCo approved 316,000 sq ft of industrial development, but over 2.6 million sq ft for warehouses. Lehigh County only approved 9,000 sq ft in warehouse development in 2023. But it approved well over 1 million sq ft of boxes in each of the preceding four years.
17 comments:
Back in the late 90s we had a short lived but prescient Norco Director of Economic Development named Craig Weintraub. Even back then he was saying that the region needed to “attract businesses that will create jobs with competitive wages not warehouses that employ few people.” Oh how right you were Craig!
https://www.mcall.com/1999/01/13/weintraub-to-lead-economic-growth-reibman-picks-palmer-twp-supervisor-to-head-county-development/
Imagine if McClure had not spent like a kagillion dollars to preserve open space. Northampton County would look like western Lehigh County.
What has Don Cunningham done to prevent this poor planning…….LVEDC and Cunningham are useless ask anyone in the Slate Belt
A multi-municipal planning organization might sound odd to most readers. It isn’t much different in its reason for existence from an educational “intermediate unit” or a transit authority. It can do things a single municipality can’t.
The late Malissa Davis (Bethlehem Township commissioner) explained MMPOs to me: the participating municipalities ensure that there’s a space for any Pennsylvania-permitted zoning activity within the larger organization. In a three-township MMPO, there only needs to be one parcel for, say, a prison or a cannabis dispensary. The participating townships can agree to focus distribution center zoning on a particular highway interchange, encouraging development there instead of plowing and paving mixed-use greenfields. There’s likely a better explanation elsewhere (follow Bernie’s link?). I’d imagine Lower Naz, Bethlehem, Palmer, and Forks to be prime candidates if there were political will. Ditto Williams and Lower Saucon, though the geography of those townships and the location of 78’s interchanges mostly dictate where development can happen.
Craig Weintraub. Wow, that takes me back. Good dude, couldn't handle Angle, as I recall. In his defense, few could.
A lot of SW & most of NW Lehigh County is farmland. The areas adjacent to major infrastructure are highly developed in both counties.
Close to highways ...we have multiple industrial parks right by route 22. Why can't we put the Warehouse giants there? Why can't farmland be redistricted (word?). To something other than warehouses if sold?? I don't obviously know anything about this but wonder why is it so hard to change what it can be used for?
They built a warehouse at airport road and 329 and it has never been used. Loosing all this farmland the roads even little residential roads are now overrun with tractor trailers. This insanity has to stop.
MMP’s sound like a good idea but unfortunately, our airhead politicians at the state level (like Schlossburp) are for warehouses, and the counties (NorCo and Lehigh) help fund two entities (LVPC and LVEDC) that are either similarly pro-warehouse or incredibly ineffective at stopping them.
While I’m loathe to agree with McClure about almost anything, I support his efforts to cut the funding of the LVPC.
Even though his reasons for doing so likely have nothing to do with stopping warehouses, I’ll support ANY opportunity to defund these organizations that consistently support proposals that seem counter to what people actually support.
After all the damage is done, the politicians and "planners" like LVEDC are crying about warehouses and congestion. What about their deafening silence for the twenty years it was all happening. Hell, they invited them in.
Phonies, one and all. LVPC has no authority so don't blame them and a McClure run county planning commission would just be another political patronage power play.
You need to study up on the roles of LVEDC, LVPC, Local municipalities & the PA State planning codes. The local municipalities, their zoning and individual property rights are largely why you see warehouses and any other development you may not like for that matter.
Politicians are another thing, if their constituents like or want something you can understand why they might be for that same something… they’re supposed to support the things that their constituents want.
LVEDC is an economic development agency not a planning agency, so they may have had a role in promoting or recruiting warehouses. Putting something that has regional impact in the hands of either county does potentially make it vulnerable to politics when it should be unbiased.
BO, I missed this when you first posted. So, I opened and was thrown back by a larger than life pose by a very Trump big red-faced McClure. He is stopping warehouses, years too late. Gutless politicians like him and economic development betters said nothing for years. McClure companied about white knuckle driving on rt 22 with trucks, how about driving around other county roads. He like other politicians loves massive expansion of rental units and the accompanying traffic that is just too congested for our streets. Hell, he even wants to tax incentivize these transient hubs.
Therse guys loved to collect all those juicy taxes for years until people woke up and now the pols are saying oh my, this must stop.
You can buy it from your boy BO, but most levelheaded nonpartisans will say--BS!
The LVPC is the human capital of the LVTS, which funds highway projects. They have major influence over funding projects for PennDOT. The LVPC will always be biased and has been made political by their administration. Take a look at the projects funded in Lehigh Versus Northampton county.
Long overdue that each county has their own county planning agency and make the LVTS a separate entity with own staff like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
The LVPC budget is inflated, the staff salaries are ridiculous with 5 people salaries combined equalling in excess of a million dollars with bennies. Why do they have 3 people in marketing?
Take a look at the budget for Berks Cunty planning and the heir transportation planning. T the e LVPC is a easteful excuse of greed and taxpayer waste.
What actually does the lVPC that has a direct benefit to the community that the county ir municipalityvcabt do better?
LVTS has voting members from both counties ... how is that biased? You're not entitled to your own facts.
Broken record comment. Also, comparing the Lehigh Valley to Berks seems like an apples to oranges comparison to me. 3 people in marketing? You're pulling this from thin air.
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