South Whitehall's biggest development ever becomes the impetus for changing the system - The Morning Call

It usually starts with postcards and double shooting.

At the end of 2017, Monica Hodges raised three children and was immersed in the care of her father. She received a postcard in the mail, which was advertised at a public meeting concerning the proposed development plan, which would be on a large plot of land across the busiest intersection in the town of South Whitehall Build more than 700 houses. Propose Ridge Farms to be a mile away from her 10-year residence.

In September, JoAnn Markowicz almost ignored the postcard, informing her of the upcoming planning committee meeting where the board of directors will discuss proposals for the advanced nursing complex. Then she saw the address.

Her living room window can see 15 acres of grassland on Hillview Road, where the developer hopes to build an advanced care park called Macungie Manor.

Hodges and Markowicz will continue to help organize neighbor groups that oppose the project and advocate for moderate growth in the town. They attended the meeting in person—sometimes in the hundreds—before Ridge Farms received initial approval from the commissioner in 2019, and now

Other projects will be completed in the approval process.

The growing opposition from residents will not have much impact on Ridge Farms, but their timing coincides with the future plan of the once-decade design town: the next comprehensive plan.

Today, everyone is paying attention to the fact that South Whitehall-a diversified town that straddles the main road in the Lehigh Valley and on the border of the state's third largest city-as the population grows, the How much development and development to accept will face differences in voice.

Ridge Farms is the largest single development project in the history of South Whitehall. For the first time, many concerned residents flock in and help them

Served as a committee member in 2019.

However, the direction of the township is currently led by a committee decided by many splits of 3-2 votes. It was predicted by the previous comprehensive plan and incorporated into the 2014 zoning change, which envisages something like Ridge Farms. development of.

South Whitehall will be the first to develop a mixed-use, residential and commercial development project of this scale, which is not surprising to township or regional planners. However, for many residents, they are obsessed with work or family, rather than partition codes and comprehensive plans, which is completely surprising.

"It's very angry. People are very angry," Hodges said, recalling the public meeting in the crowded auditorium of Springhouse Middle School.

with

"Participating in the meeting is really exhausting. She said that hearing what these people are saying is even more exhausting and sad. "I thought we did have a chance. "

Monica and Rob Hodges moved their family to the small town in 2006, attracting the rolling hills on Walbert Avenue, farmland across the road, and close to Schools and amenities, as well as the rural atmosphere, prompted the deer to visit their residence unwaveringly.

"This is amazing," Monica Hodges said.

In the past five years, the farmland has become a community with more than 55 houses, and several plots of land along the coast of Walbert have become the target of development proposals. Then, Ridge Farms formed, bringing Hodges to one of the many crowded public meetings.

She said: "When you move into the house, you won't see the zoning map." "Now I will."

The Regency in the development zone above South Whitehall 55 promoted the participation of Michael Wolk, who is now a commissioner. Air Products’ retirees met with planners and participated in several meetings, but the land development process has proceeded smoothly.

He said that when he saw the announcement about Ridge Farm, one-tenth of a mile from where he lived, "the radar came up."

He said: "I will be involved soon."

It's like never seen in the town. At that time, the planning committee's proposal called for single-family houses, twins and apartments to be mixed together, a total of 713 units. 75,000 square feet of retail space; community clubs and village plazas; medical and office buildings; and the entire open space and walkways. Essentially, it will be a 190-acre mini-administrative district on Cedar Crest Boulevard between Walbert Avenue and Huckleberry Road.

Currently, the number of houses in the project that require conditional use approval is 780. On the west side of Cedar Crest will be another 90 houses that do not require conditional use.

After attending several crowded public meetings, the residents decided on the scale of the development, density, potential traffic impacts, and changes in the characteristics of the town. Then in February 2018, Hodges, Walker and mutual friend David · David Burke sits down by Wegmans' coffee and makes a plan.

They set up a group called "South Whitehall Concerned Citizens" whose task is mainly to educate themselves and their neighbors on zoning and land development laws, mobilize residents to participate in every commissioner and planning meeting, and put pressure on the commissioner to reduce 2009 The growth rate specified in the annual comprehensive report. Planning and the resulting partition changes.

Monica Hodges (Monica Hodges) said: "In the beginning, all of us thought we could stop this."

Rob Hodges said: "It has moved from trying to stop it to making it more reasonable."

They sought legal advice to solve the problem, but learned some difficult lessons. Zoning determines everything in the town. As long as the proposal complies with the zoning law, the commissioner has a legal obligation to approve the proposal, regardless of personal opinions or public outcry.

One of the several paths they took in the short term was to put pressure on towns and cities to require developers to comply with current regulations, not only for Ridge Farms, but also for other controversial projects, including the warehouse on Crackersport Road and what the former proposed Luxury apartment complex with garden view motel. They learned that changing the zoning rule is a long process.

But they are also about to hold elections.

As a citizen advocate, Volcker participated in all committee meetings and planning committee meetings. During public commentary at key meetings, the "Follow Citizens" group he often helped establish attracted dozens of speakers.

He said that success is limited, so it seems logical to try to promote someone as one of the decision makers.

He said: "Basically, I was surrounded by a group of people, and they said,'Mike, you should run.'"

In addition, resident Diane Kelly retired from the dental industry and lived between the recently built Hills in Winchester and the upcoming Ridge Farms. She received a postcard, And began to participate in planning committee meetings.

By the third time, she walked out of her comfort zone and spoke in the public commentary. She mainly talked about the traffic problems around Ridge Farm-this is one of the main complaints-but to her surprise, there are vacancies in the planning committee, while South Whitehall saw the number The biggest increase in ten years.

A former commissioner took over her microphone and suggested that she apply. She served for two years until she successfully ran for commissioner last year.

"I never thought of or planned it; it just unfolded this way." she said.

On the committee, Wolk and Kelly eventually shared a similar platform, which they described as not “anti-development” but as supporting moderate growth reflecting the characteristics and desires of the community, and wishing to prioritize Open space and farmland protection.

Therefore, they voted on development decisions in 2020.

The two new commissioners who voted in the majority also participated in some activities, including the wave at Ridge Farm.

Lawyer Matthew Mobilio also disliked the development of Ridge Farms because of its scale and location near busy intersections.

He said: "The problem with Rich Farm: This is the ultimate trap anyone talks about."

It has been legal since the 1990s and is located on a piece of land zoned for high-density residential use. In the commissioner's seat, Mobilio saw an opportunity to reduce harmful effects such as traffic.

In the long term, he stated that he will support the changes to the divisions that make Ridge Ridge Farms possible. He said that in the short term, his "yes" vote will make the process of a project that will happen anyway smoother.

He said: "The project will accommodate the future residents of South Whitehall." "Those people should have the best development they can get."

Long-term real estate agent Joe Setton (Joe Setton) passed

Following the resignation of former commissioner Mark Pinsley, the latter became the controller of Lehigh County. Seton is aware of the public's opinion and he will automatically support the developer in future votes, but he said that is not true.

He believes that it is more efficient to cooperate with developers under legal circumstances, which can give the township an advantage in designing neighborhoods.

He said: “I don’t advocate building an invisible wall and depriving others of what our township can provide by making it difficult for developers to exercise their rights.”

The only returning committee member is President Christina Morgan, who has been in office since 2009.

Morgan is an environmental compliance coordinator every day, and he supports development and zoning changes made a few years ago to allow for this. She said that without these changes, what would eventually happen to that piece of land would be another community of cake cutters.

She said: "Finally, we may be looking for a trend-setting community."

The drafting of the last comprehensive plan that began in 2007 and was passed in 2009 is a typical process: a steering committee composed of representatives of the citizen committee, guidance consultants, an overview of the planning committee, and official feedback from the elections, that is, a public meeting.

The planners did not have township social media to attract residents, but they advertised in local media and township websites.

Planner Gregg Adams said: "We do everything we can to solicit public opinion." He estimated that more than a dozen people attended a given meeting. "I won't say that we received an overwhelming response."

The final comprehensive plan cites today's modern planning theory: emphasizing the development of pedestrian communities and rural styles, similar to suburban boroughs. In order to achieve this goal, the plan proposes to amend the zoning laws to allow more mixed uses instead of strip development.

The Great Depression greatly hindered the development of this vision. But in 2014, the town adopted coverage areas in its zoning regulations and maps, identifying areas that might be suitable for such reconstruction, while retaining the Jordan Valley north of Huckleberry Ridge, known as As "the gem of the town," Adams said.

It is proposed to use Ridge Farms for one of these coverage areas and spill it into traditionally zoned residential complexes, with a total of 870 residential units in the two areas. Its housing unit density is not greater than that of the surrounding community-in fact, it is not as dense as the Country Crossings next door-but its overall size and variety are unprecedented.

There is another development with a similar design and scale: Madison Farm in Bethlehem, a "mini city" off Highway 33, approved by the Commissioner of Bethlehem in 2012. The farm covers an area of ​​103 acres, has more than 800 different types of residences, an area of ​​150,000 square feet of retail, medical center and 35 acres of open space.

Regional planners regard multi-functional developments like Madison Farms and Ridge Farms as good projects to accommodate population growth in a way that preserves the public feel. The population of Lehigh Valley has grown steadily by an average of 4,000 to 5,000 per year

60 years; according to data from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, by 2040, the population of the area is expected to grow by 26%, while the population of South Whitehall will grow by 29%.

Executive director Becky Bradley said that in terms of mixed-use trends, the Lehigh Valley is about 20 years behind most other metropolitan areas.

She said: "We really have to recognize that we have undergone major changes." "We are now an important major region. We have to think about ourselves in a different way."

There are talks about other such plans everywhere. At about the same time, while Kay Builders was approving work for Ridge Farms in South White Hall, President Rick Koze was also in contact with planners in Upper Sokken about a similar project: along Highway 309 , There are 900 housing units and a town center on 119 acres of land.

The residents strongly protested that he

. The difference is: Upper Saucon has no partitions on the books.

Since the division has already taken place in Nanbai Hall, Koz said that the strong public response surprised him.

He said: "This is wise growth." "I know there will be retreat, but it will not reach that level."

In hindsight, Bradley said she was not surprised. As long as anyone remembers, the farm, the trees and the open space sit on the ground and become the Rich Farm.

She looked at the project excitedly.

She said: “Although a new form of development is needed to involve the community and the public, it is a good thing to have a community dialogue around this issue.” “In the end, the community must decide what kind of person it wants to become.

This time, the comprehensive planning process has been completed

.

Since 2019, planners have been collecting opinions from the public instead of drawing the public's attention to the committee's proposals.

The curator George Kinney said: "We want to make it a real grassroots method." "We want people to get involved, but understand that there is no preconceived notion of government... Some people think,'Oh. , They have figured it out.'"

Those first public consultation meetings happened right after Ridge Farms, so the turnout rate was better than last time. IT director David Manhardt estimates that in a series of public meetings before the pandemic, about 100 people participated in the mapping exercises, showing their preference for growth locations that towns should prioritize. Now the town is collecting information about

The township should grow through an online survey, which has received more than 500 responses.

The range of reactions he has seen is wide. Some people recommend the walking community where they once lived as a model. Others say that traffic and growth are too fast.

He said: "I doubt we will see all kinds of things."

There are few opportunities to participate in public meetings. Resident Ben Long, a resident who owns the Benigao Valley Water Systems Company, attended some of these meetings, but said he stopped because he felt that the voice of support for growth and development was overwhelmed.

He said: "Those who have very good experience in certain things may not always tell you this."

The next stage involves using data collected from public inputs to create a subcommittee to draft a plan. The planner hopes to complete it in the spring.

Kelly's concern is that the public cannot understand how these data points become reality. One of her goals when she was campaign commissioner and Wolk was to gain a place in the overall planning and zoning process so that she could engage the public as much as possible.

At the same time, the public will pay close attention to who is in these seats, and Facebook citizen groups will send summaries to the public. For example, some people are critical of the recent decision to appoint former commissioner Matthew Mulqueen, who voted to approve Ridge Farms and lost the election last year and then became the planning committee .

Residents spoke in the last election. In 2021, there are two seats to compete for-Morgan and Seton.

Morgan said that for the same reason, she will compete again.

She said: "I want to do things that are good for this town." "I want to make sure that we maintain our uniqueness and special qualities and grow in a very balanced and thoughtful way. This is the best place to live."

In this regard, the residents who remained permanent at public meetings and sent dispatch messages to hundreds of others agreed.

Rob Hodges said: "If we have no hope, I won't fight." "Every time we lose one of the tickets, I say to Monica and Dave:'Well, We lost the battle, but the war is not over yet.' We are being heard."