Lehigh Valley Planning Comm'n Presents Annual Report

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's  (LVPC) Annual Report, published on February 28, was presented to Northampton County Council last week. According to the study, the Lehigh Valley faces a 9,000-unit housing shortage, a strained transportation and utility infrastructure, and a rapidly changing development landscape with new industrial uses (can you say data center?). Population is increasing, but job growth is even greater.

Job growth is predicted to increase by 25% by 2040, which Healthcare and Social Assistance jobs leading the pack. 

Although there is an affordable housing crisis, plans for nearly 6,000 residential units were reviewed in 2025, of which more than half - 3,450 - were for apartments. 

In addition to housing units, LVPC also reviewed plans to develop 1.3 million sq ft of nonresidential use, of which 7.2 million sq ft is for industrial use. 

Council member Jason Boulette asked Executive Director Becky Bradley about Plan Slate Belt multi-municipal plan, where three townships dropped out. She explained that a "really divisive" development planned in Upper Mount Bethel (Lou Pektor's subdivision) "created some issues of trust in the communities up there." She added that one of the developments that pulled out (Lower Mount Bethel?) is currently writing legislation to support a data center. 

Council member Jeff Warren said he'd be inviting Bradley back to discuss her views on data centers. She's already discussed them in a piece for the Morning Call in which she cautions that Pa. is a right-to-develop state, meaning every community must plan for every lawful use. She added that the Lehigh Valley already has several small data centers, which a large one planned in Upper Macungie. Rather than painting them as villains, she noted that many of them "are looking to develop geothermal, closed loop and onsite energy generation systems to not only reduce their costs of operation but, reduce impacts. The industry itself is rapidly evolving too. So before anyone declares the downfall of mankind or stirs up any more gossip bordering on hysteria, take a deep breath and proceed with logic."

NorCo Council Rejects Budget Amendment That Would Give LVPC Over $1 Million in 2026

Back in October, during a budget hearing for Northampton County Council, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) requested $965,500 for next year. That's a problem. Executive Lamont McClure has only set aside $625,000 for the bi-county venture. At last week's budget amendment meeting, Council members John Brown and Lori Vargo Heffner tried to give LVPC an additional $461,375 by taking the money from Grow NorCo future grants. They failed. Five votes are needed to move something forward for consideration on December 4, when the budget is adopted. Only four Council members supported the increase. Two Council members - John Goffredo and Ron Heckman - might have given a fifth or even a sixth vote, but they were absent

LVPC, which serves both Lehigh and NorCo, plans regional land use, transportation, recreation, economic development, storm water management, and environmental impact studies. It reviews about 300 subdivision plans a year, just in Northampton County. Most importantly, it provides technical assistance to smaller local governments that have no planners. But does this justify what is 50% increase in the county contribution next year? Lehigh County thinks so and has already voted to. give LVPC what it wants. 

NorCo is a different story. 

"Why do we want to give Lehigh Valley Planning Commission all this money?" demanded Council member Ken Kraft.  "You heard them when they were here. They have a huge budget surplus." 

Council member John Brown supported an increase and said it was part of the agreement we have with our sister county. But in the eyes of Kraft and many others going back to former Council President Wayne Grube, we are treated more like the ugly red-headed step-sister.

Kraft went on a tear.  "I didn't tell them to move into a new building. I didn't tell them to incur all this new debt that they did and I don't think our taxpayers should pay for that. And 90% of it was in salaries alone. ... I think they need to figure out how to pay their bills without handouts. I'm a strong No. .... I can't believe we're doing this." ... "It's ludicrous to give this kind of money to them when they said most of it is for salaries. Remember, they are the people who brought you the warehouses all over the county. They told every one of these little municipalities back in Walt Dealtry's days, if you remember, to change their zoning and planning to allow what happened. And then in the future, we're like 'Oh my God, there's warehouses and cars and everything everywhere.' Who gave us that? The LVPC. ... They have a lot of reserves. We should have their reserves."

"For us to be so far off from Lehigh County is concerning to me," responded Council President Lori Vargo Heffner. She also told Kraft that some of the municipalities in his district rely on LVPC for planning.

Council member Jeff Warren, donning his Solomon costume, is willing to cut the baby in half. He is willing to give LVPC some of what it wants, but not all. 

In the end, a motion to sweeten the LVPC handout by $461,375 failed in a 4-3 vote. Council members Vargo Heffner, Brown, Jeff Corpora and Tom Giovanni voted Yes. Kraft, Warren and Kelly Keegan voted No. 

Expect to see another effort to provide this money to LVPC when the full Council meets on December 4. 

LV Planners Want $965,500 From NorCo; Only $625,000 Budgeted

At last night's budget hearing for Northampton County Council, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) requested $965,500 for next year. But in his proposed budget, Executive Lamont McClure has limited funding for that bi-county venture to $625,000, the same sum approved in this year's budget. 

As explained in the proposed budget, LVPC does the planning for planning for regional land use, transportation, recreation, economic development, storm water management, and environmental impact studies. It reviews subdivision plans and is already over 250 this year alone, just in Northampton County. It also is the body that reviews and regulates stormwater management plans for municipalities. It also provides technical assistance with smaller local governments. But does this justify what is 50% increase in the county contribution next year? According to Executive Director Becky Bradley, Lehigh County thinks so, and was voting last night on a budget that would give thus admittedly busy and worthwhile agency more money. That is, however, a terrible argument to make in Northampton County. It almost guarantees a rejection, if only out of spite. Northampton County has long considered itself the ugly red-headed stepchild when compared to Lehigh.

Council member John Goffredo, easily that body's most conservative voice, surprisingly voiced support for this substantial increase. He noted that the county (and its municipalities) need these services, and they are required under state law. He said head be comfortable matching Lehigh County. 

But Council member Ken Kraft, easily that body's most candid voice, was far less encouraging. "I am totally against that," he said of the proposed 50% increase. "I can't see taking another $300,000 out of our budget, so I'm a No vote on that. .... I'm fiscally conservative so, you know, sorry."

During LVPC's presentation, Bradley warned these funds are needed for salaries, which is close to 90% of its budget. 

If NorCo Council wishes to fund the entire $965,000 requested, it will have to deduct money proposed somewhere else. 

Lehigh Valley Planning Comm'n Seeks $1.15 Million From NorCo in 2025

In the story below this one, I told you that NorCo Exec Lamont McClure is cheap. I don't see him run around turning off lights the way John Stoffa did when he was at the helm, but he's still as miserly as any Republican. So when he told County Council last night that Lehigh Valley Planning Comm'n (LVPC) is seeking an 81% increase for next year, he burst out laughing. 

LVPC wants $1.15 million from the county in 2025. McClure noted this planning agency has $4 million in reserves, which amounts to 9-12 months of their operating expenses.  He made clear that this request is DOA. Although Council could fund this request, he said they'd need six votes because he would veto it. 

He said he would support an increase in line with the consumer price index. 

LVPC Makes Annual Presentation to NorCo Council

Six staffers from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC), including Executive Director Becky Bradley, were at Northampton County Council's March 21 meeting to provide an annual update on what LVPC has been doing for the past year. They've been busy. So busy that County Council wants them to return for a separate meeting for a deep dive in what's going on in a county where Bradlley says there will be 100,000 new residents by 2050. Below are some highlights from its 2023 annual report:

• 1,250 reviews including 595 subdivision and land development reviews – the most since 2008 – and 190 stormwater management reviews. A record 105 reviews for municipal ordinance and map changes were done, a sign that municipalities are taking a proactive approach to managing the development arriving in their communities. 
• Reviews of 4,916 new homes, marked by greater diversity that included 2,472 apartments, 1,170 townhomes, 764 single-family homes, 397 twins, 83 manufactured homes and 20 condos. (Note that over half of these "new homes" are actually apartments.)
• 21 million square feet of proposed non-residential space proposed – the second-most ever in a single year. More than 17 million sq ft of that is industrial, most of which was for warehouses and logistics. It also included 1.8 million square feet for commercial, 1.1 million of public/quasi-public, 316,457 of office, 176,421 of retail, 27,813 of transportation and 25,403 of recreational. 
• Adoption of a $4.3 billion Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that maps out how to invest in roads, bridges, trails, transit and communities over the next 25 years. In part due to advocacy by the LVPC and community leaders, and the arrival of new federal programs like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the number is a 70% increase over the 2019 LRTP. The plan includes the region’s first use of federal Justice40 initiatives designed to direct 40% of funding for certain projects to disadvantaged and underserved communities.  (Council member Ken Kraft observed that NorCo is getting $50 million over the next three years, while Lehigh is getting $200 million. "It's unacceptable," he said. Bradley responded that PennDOT should be asked to explain because that money is going to the state for what she calls mega projects.)
• First-ever Lehigh Valley Priority Climate Action Plan. It focuses on reducing transportation-related emissions by increasing the use of alternative fuel vehicles, increasing transit ridership, implementing Walk/RollLV: Active Transportation Plan, using technology and efficiency to reduce congestion, and creating green infrastructure along our busiest highways. If those goals are met, it will reduce carbon emissions annually by 300,000 metric tons of caron dioxide equivalent by 2030, and 321,000 by 2050. 
• Working with 37 communities in five multi-municipal plans that give them tools to find new efficiencies and better control development. (These plans enable communities to assess impact fees for traffic that may increase in area outside of a host municipality)
• Leading the Eastern Pennsylvania Freight Alliance in a multi-regional coalition, created to write a new freight infrastructure plan for the Lehigh Valley, Northeast Pennsylvania, Lackawanna-Luzerne, Berks County and Lebanon County areas. The plan is scheduled to be completed in 2024.  
• Leading the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail Analysis, a partnership endeavor between the LVTS and PennDOT, that analyzes the potential for the restoration of passenger rail service between the Lehigh Valley and Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia or Reading. The analysis is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2024.
• Expanding training programs through the Lehigh Valley Government Academy, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute and PennDOT. The year included training more than 100 students during in-person planning, zoning and land development classes, performing 67 transportation tech assists in the community to improve pedestrian safety, and offering online Local Technical Assistance Program classes for engineers, public works and transportation crews. 
• Community outreach that included hosting a Pennsylvania House Local Government Committee Hearing on a bill to update the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, hosting the U.S. EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan visit to announce a $1 million grant to the LVPC, and hosting a major transportation projects meeting with regional legislators and PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll.  
• Updating the LVTS’s policies for providing public access to work done by the two organizations. The Planning For All campaign included an update the two organization’s Public Participation and Limited English Proficiency Plans.   

LVPC Concerned About 55+ Communities

Becky Bradley addresses NorCo Council

Becky Bradley, Executive Director at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC), informed Northampton County Council at their September 15 meeting that her agency reviewed 411 subdivision and land development plans in 2015. It's a seven per cent increase over 2014. Bradley believes it indicates a "slow recovery after the economic downturn." Northampton County had the most commercial development (277 acres), while Lehigh County led in residential development (448 acres).

Nearly half the plans submitted (181) were actually non-development plans for lot line adjustments and deed consolidations. Of the remaining plans, 87 were residential and 143 were for non-residential development.

Bethlehem submitted the most plans (34) followed by Allentown (28), Upper Macungie (27) and Lower Macungie (24). Nine municipalities submitted no plans at all, and all nine were boroughs (Chapman, Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, Glendon, North Catasauqua, Portland, Stockertown, Tatamy and West Easton).

For the second year in a row, apartments (570 units) are ahead of all other housing units, including single family homes (246 units). "This is really a tectonic shift in how housing is being developed in our region," says Bradley. For 60 years before 2014, the single family home was the preferred residential unit. Now it's the apartment. According to Bradley, the demand is across "all age groups and all income strata."

Bradley did express concerns about the number of active senior or 55+ communities. Those are age-restricted housing developments, usually for people aged 55 and older. Traditions of America, which touts itself as the "National 55+ Home Builder of the Year," owns two of the top largest approved residential projects in 2015. In fact, 58% of the residential units proposed last year are age restricted.

Bradley noted that there is definitely a demand for age restricted communities, and baby boomers do make up the largest generation.

But what happens when they're gone? According to Bradley, "We are concerned about the ability to fill those units in the next decade or two because the generation underneath is much, much smaller and has a higher debt to income ratio that won't allow them to afford the high price of many of those 55 and up developments." She notes that many of them are in the $400,000 range, and some sell as high as $700,000.

She indicated that the LVPC has begun monitoring these communities to determine their long-term consequences.

Most of the non-residential development was industrial (3,431,858 sf). The top three include Forks Logistics Center (1.36 million sf Forks), Greenfield Industrial Park (1.25 million sf Lower Nazareth) and Hanover Corporate Center 2 (290,000 sf Hanover).

Bradley noted that warehouses have actually declined over the past three years, but her office just received an application last week for a 1.9 million sf warehouse at Bethlehem Majestic Center. That may be the largest warehouse to date within the Lehigh Valley.

Bradley expects to see retail development decline because of the increases in online shopping. "That drives the warehouse logistics economy, but it doesn't drive storefront activity. We'll be having a conversation going forward on what to do with what they call 'greyfields.' That's a fancy term for strip malls that are no longer viable."  

The Lehigh Valley Inland Empirre

Blogger's Note: I accidentally deleted this three-part story, and am reloading it. Sorry, but all comments were wiped out.


I. Lehigh Valley Inland Empire, Freight to Double in Ten Years

If you think of the Lehigh Valley as a sleepy countryside, that's about to change. Freight transportation will double in the Lehigh Valley over the next decade. That's what Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) Executive Director Becky Bradley told Northampton County Council at their July 21 meeting. It will occur on all levels - rail, roads and air. Accompanying this explosion, there will be more warehouses and traffic. "If they're coming, we have to plan for them," said Bradley.

Noting that manufacturing facilities like Crayola and Olympus now look very much like warehouses, Bradley pointed out that "there's been a change in the way we shop" as online warehouse businesses like Amazon take root in the Lehigh Valley. She said that will only increase once Fed Ex Ground, which started construction in Allen Township last week, is complete. "At full build out, in its third phase, it will be the largest ground facility in the world," she reported. "They are a transportation company. So we obviously need to work with them in order to plan for the transportation system that they need."

Bradley stated that the Fed Ex in Allen Township is already leading to an increasing demand for warehouse and logistics facilities along Route 248 that will "drastically change transportation patterns" in Northampton County.

In addition to Fed Ex, Bradley pointed to a proposed inland port that would expand the current Norfolk Southern rail yard in South Bethlehem, which could soon include a U.S. Customs station for international freight.

Bradley also stated that the "Chrinterchange," a new Route 33 interchange in Palmer Township, will increase freight traffic.

"The Lehigh Valley, all the way down to Harrisburg, actually has better access to markets than the port of Long Beach in California. We really are the new inland empire." The recent Panama Canal expansion is expected to have a major impact along the U.S. eastern seaboard, making inland ports a necessity.

With drastic increases expected on the Lehigh Valley's roads, Congress in December appropriated $458 million for infrastructure projects over the next four years. That's an "unheard of" increase in federal funds for transportation infrastructure, according to Bradley. For the first time, more money will be invested in bridges ($183M) than highways ($131 M). "You lose a bridge, you lose an entire road," reasoned Bradley. Another $144M will be spent for transit.

Mat Benol complained about all the warehouses. "There's gotta' be something that can be done about all these warehouses that keep popping up," he said, adding that many of them are now vacant. Benol commutes to East Brunswick every day, and "I know what the truck traffic is gonna' do. This Fed Ex facility is gonna' kill this area."

"Mat, you can move closer to where you work," noted Ken Kraft.

Bradley acknowledged that increased freight traffic is the biggest transportation issue facing the Lehigh Valley, but added that Pennsylvania is a "right-to-develop" state. She noted that many municipalities have local zoning that permits warehouses, even where it is inappropriate. She agreed that warehouses are often on very short term leases.

Bradley indicated that she is currently working on establishing to truck routes to keep freight off of back roads. She added that there is an agreement in place with Fed Ed under which there will be no truck traffic during peak commuter periods. "We'll see if that happens in implementation," she cautioned.

II. Lehigh Valley Inland Empire, Transportation Trends

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) prepares a Transportation Improvement Program funded by the federal government. It is updated every three years. LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley notes the following trends:

* Most people commute alone in their own vehicle. Only about nine per cent carpool. Only four per cent work from home. Two per cent use their feet, while another two per cent ride LANTA.

* 89,000 of the people who work in the Lehigh Valley commute in from somewhere else. About 187,000 people both live and work here. About 104,000 people who live in the Lehigh Valley commute to work somewhere else.

* Ninety per cent of the freight is moved by tractor trailer.

* 912 bridges are over 50 years old. 169 are structurally deficient and 199 are functionally obsolete. Six bridges are closed and 98 are posted weight restricted. "We need to make sure we're investing in those bridges on defined schedules so we don't lose them," states Bradley

* The most productive warehouses are next to major arteries. "Keep warehouse and distribution facilities where we have good infrastructure, next to major highways," she recommends. "The worst thing that could happen is to have them on a tar and chip road and the local municipality in two years has to pay for a road that they can't afford."

* There are 4,100 miles of roads in the Lehigh Valley, over which 13.6 million miles are traveled daily, with the highest concentration on Airport Road, where the job density is the greatest.

* Over 3,000 of these roads are owned by local government, but federal law requires that improvements be made to federal and state roads first.

III. Lehigh Valley Inland Empire, Major Road Projects

Most of the road projects are along the spine of Routes 22 and 78. Among the major projects are the following:

* Over $17M will be spent to widen Route 22, between 15th Street (Allentown) and Airport Road, with construction slated for 2019 and 2020.

* $14M will be used to reconstruct State Route 100, between Schantz Road and Tilghman Streets, with the work starting in 2017 and going through 2020.

* 12.8M will be used to resurface SR 309 from Walbert Avenue to Shankweiler Drive, as well as improvements to the Orefield Road intersection to accommodate truck turns.

* $11.3M will fund signalization of the SR 222 and Schantz Rd intersection, as well as the SR 222 and Farmington Road intersections.

*$11M will pay for an upgrade to the SR309 and Tilghman Street interchange.

*$7.2M on the 15th St (Allentown) corridor for new signals between Hamilton and Tilghman Streets to improve pedestrian safety.

* $5M will fund highway improvements for Fed Ex, and include widening Airport Road and intersection improvements at Postal and City Line Roads.

* $4M will fund improvements to the Route 22 and 13th St (Easton) interchange. Bradley said at one point that there is more traffic along Easton's 13th Street than west-bound Route 22.

* $3M will be used for Center Street (Bethlehem) resurfacing, between Fahy and Monocacy Bridges.

* $1.5M will be spent for corridor improvements along Easton Avenue (Bethlehem), between Stefko Boulevard and Willow Park Road.

* $2M will be spent to convert one-way streets in Easton's central business district back into two-way streets in 2017 and 2018. Streets involved are Second, Spring Garden, Fourth and Ferry Streets.

"One Lehigh Valley" Report Unveiled to Bethlehem's Southside

Southside Steely

A two-year study of the Lehigh Valley, funded with a $3 million Sustainable Communities HUD grant, was the focus of a November 18 public meeting at Northampton Community College's South Side campus. Eric McAfee, Director of Community Planning for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, summarized the report to an audience of about 35 people, each of whom was supplied with a hard copy, along with a tote bag and water bottle. The report lists 35 goals, based on numerous public meetings that even included a LV Iron Pigs baseball game.

This public participation also included a survey of 800 Lehigh Valley residents, performed by Muhlenberg Colleges's Institute of Public Opinion, who were asked questions about challenges to the, economy, environment, transportation and livable communities. People would most like to see better-paying jobs; clean air and water; better roads; and more quality housing for working families.

Jobs. - Over the past five years, the biggest gains in employment have been in the healthcare and social services industry. There are also 4,567 new transportation and warehousing jobs. Many of these jobs, however, are in industrial parks away from the cities. Though agri-business is considered an emerging job market, the Lehigh Valley has lost 80% of its farms and 53% of its farmland since 1930.

City or Suburb? - According to former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, the move to the suburbs is “over.” Not in the Lehigh Valley. Between 1980 and 2010. Lehigh Valley townships and boroughs are responsible for 87% of the population increase. Most people - 57% - live in single family detached homes. Whether it is city or 'burb, 89% of Lehigh Valley residents are within bicycle distance of schools and stores (2 miles). Only 15% of the Lehigh Valley, however is within walking distance, calculated at 1/4 mile, of a school or grocer.

Public Health Rate. - Out of 67 counties, Lehigh County is ranked #19 and Northampton County #21. Northampton County has more morbidity (#53) than Lehigh (#35), but strangely is ranked higher in health behaviors.

Bethlehem's Eastern Gateway. - Darlene Heller, Bethlehem's Director of Planning, explained changes at Bethlehem's Eastern Gateway, which extends east from the Skateplaza and includes the greenway in South Side Bethlehem, between 3rd and 4th Streets.

Southside Steely was there, too, proving that even super heroes believe in good planning.

Bradley Answers Lehigh Valley's Top Ten Planning Questions

Becky Bradley heads LVPC

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley has been on the job for nearly a year. On June 19, she provided Northampton County with an informative presentation about recent subdivision and building activity. But she also came armed with her top ten list of questions most frequently posed to planners.

1. Is the Lehigh Valley Really Growing? - Yes, at the rate of about one per cent each year. By 2040, there will be 873,000 people in the Lehigh Valley.

2. How old are we? - Pretty old. The largest segment of the population consists of people age 65 or older. But the next largest group, interestingly, is those under 20.

3. Are we diverse? - We're getting there. White people still make up 82% of the population. The next largest ethnic group is the Hispanic community.

4. Where are people working? - The jobs are in the health care and social assistance sectors. That makes sense because the two largest population groups are the very old and very young.

5. Do we have a lot of commuters? - Yes. According to Bradley, 186,499 people live and work in the Lehigh Valley. But another 103,667 leave every day for jobs outside the area. The Lehigh Valley does attract 88,764 nonresidents who work here.

6. Who is moving here? - The population comes mainly from New Jersey (6,812), with New York City a distant second (4,318).

7. Do families still live together? - Only 68% of the households in the Lehigh Valley are family households.

8. Has building stopped? - Yes. Between 2005 and 2011, there has been a 78% drop in building permits being issued for all types of construction.

9. How about new construction? - That's even worse. There has been an 86% decrease in new construction between 2008 and 2012.

10. Are new homes bigger? - Yes. new homes are double the size they were in 1960, and fewer people live in them.