More than six years after it was proposed, a New Jersey developer’s plan to build an active-adult community on Strawberry Acres farm remains staunchly opposed in North Whitehall Township.
Three engineers and an attorney for Py Patel, owner of 5077 Overlook Road LLC, appeared before township planners Wednesday seeking approval to build a wastewater treatment plant that would handle the estimated 25,000 gallons of daily wastewater generated from 89 apartment units proposed on 25 acres of the rural property.
The plant, which would be owned, operated and maintained by Lehigh County Authority, would collect and treat the sewage coming from the units, then discharge it into Fells Creek, which made some residents uneasy. Engineers for the project assured planners that further testing would be conducted under the supervision of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which recommended the stream discharge method, before the project could be approved. In addition, the plant would generate minimal noise and odor and be at least 300 feet from any residential dwelling, engineers said.
The plans for the 55-plus community call for a mixture of multifamily and townhouse dwellings, which residents say would clash with the single-family homes that dot the landscape. As for the wastewater treatment plant, they remained unconvinced that odor would not be an issue.
Thomas Vanvreede, a Coplay resident speaking on behalf of a group of homeowners with properties adjacent to the site, said he found alarming inconsistencies in the developer’s application for a conditional use permit.
“The developers have shown disrespect to homeowners and their properties,” Vanvreede said. “Local residents do not trust this developer to live up to their statements.”
Vanvreede’s concerns were echoed by more than two dozen residents who attended Wednesday’s meeting.
Planning Commission Chairman Brian Horwith reminded members of the audience that the commission bears no legal authority.
“We’re the Planning Commission. Guess what? We have no power. We make no decisions,” Horwith said. “We’re the first stop on the train line, so to speak. Our job is to hear an applicant and make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.”
Commission members voted 3-3, with one abstention, against recommending it to the board.
A public hearing on the proposed wastewater treatment plant will take place at a special Board of Supervisors hearing at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the municipal building, 3256 Levans Road.
Peter Blanchard is a freelance writer for The Morning Call.
