Category Archives: Lower Macungie Township News

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²). Little Lehigh Creek and Swabia Creek drain and wind through the township from sources in Berks and Lehigh Counties. Swabia Creek joins Little Lehigh Creek in the township and the latter drains into the Lehigh River in Allentown. South Mountain crosses the township’s southern-most corner, just south of the boroughs of Alburtis and Macungie.

Rhetoric vs. Actions

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An amazing re-branding is happening as the Board of Commissioners tries to distance themselves from comments made by planning commissioners they recently rubber stamped. About 2 months ago smart growth buzzwords started flying around at meetings.

This same Board of Commissioners (BOC) who immediately after taking office steamrolled the absolute antithesis of smart growth, an amendment allowing 700 acres of agriculture protected zoning to change to industrial, Strip Mall and Urban are now attempting to re-brand themselves smart growth champions.

 

Wonderful. Nearly 3 years into Reis, Conrad and Eichenberg’s terms they have started studying possible smart growth implementation.

 

I am a believer that actions speak louder then words, so lets review their actions:
1. Jaindl MOU. Mere days after taking office the group began working with Mr. Jaindl his lawyers and Engineers to craft a document chock full of waivers and concessions allowing 700 acres of farmland to be developed with warehouses, strip malls and urban density housing.
2. The Allen Organ project. A project that so far has been spoken in favorable terms by this BOC including Eichenberg who happens to be the realtor of the project. (before eventually recusing himself) This project would create the highest residential density in the township. The plan that at one time was ridiculously branded as “Smart Growth Mixed Use” but after community concern that label was dropped. Now it’s simply being called exactly what it is. A box supermarket and over 200 apartments smushed together on a small parcel.
3. Hamilton Boulevard is becoming Macarther Rd. Two keystone properties are being developed as strip centers on a critical portion of Hamilton boulevard in The Village of Wescosville. It’s been stated this area should become the “Main St.” of the township. Instead we’re getting Macarther Rd.
4. Anti smart growth appointments Planning commissioners who state it’s too late for smart growth get unanimous rubber stamp, while community members who constantly advocate for smart growth are blocked.

 

Again. Rhetoric vs. Action.
Smart growth needs wholesale buy in. Without it you get the Allen Organ proposal. A smart growth sham. 200 apartments crammed with a supermarket that funnels all the traffic onto one intersection. No interconnectivity with adjacent neighborhoods, lip service walkability a sidewalk here and there, no range of housing options and virtually no compact building design.

 

On the national stage on both sides of the aisle we see politicians who speak out of two sides of their mouths everyday. Where the rhetoric is wonderful but actions don’t always line up. Here on our little local stage we see the exact same thing. This group is trying to shut the barn door after the horse has been stolen. Funny the smart growth talk is being ratcheted up a few months before a primary election? It’s probably just coincidence right?

Lower Macungie BOC approves removal of 20 street trees in Legacy Oaks

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Street Trees along Legacy Oaks in Lower Macungie Township

Street Trees along Legacy Oaks in Lower Macungie Township, Trees on the right will be removed.

 Last night at the Commissioners meeting the board approved the removal of 20 street trees along Village Walk between Caramoor Village Shopping Center and Legacy Oaks.

This was after receiving a letter from the Legacy Oaks HOA regarding issues with the tree roots and the bike path along the street. I agree with the reasoning for removing the tree’s. However absolutely disagree with allowing a blanket waiver of the requirement to replace the trees without exploring ways to replant some trees into the setback or requiring trees be re-planted or re-placed in other areas of the township currently without street trees or that have damaged trees.

Legacy Oaks Street Tree Removal Lower Macungie Township

Red circles are trees that could be removed. Green Circles are places where I think trees can easily be replanted in the setback and still provide the function of a street tree. For the remaining 12 the money to replace should be put into an account to plant replacement trees throughout the township. This would have been a better solution to a complete waiver.

The reason the trees need to be removed is because when Legacy Oaks was built 10 years ago instead of installing a 4 foot sidewalk the developers were allowed to install a bike path instead (probably much cheaper for the developer). It seems the difference in the size between a bike path and sidewalk was made up by cutting into the planting green strip where the trees were placed instead of the large setback. This resulted in a 36 inch green strip for planting, entirely too thin.

Green strip on right of bike path is too thin to handle the trees

Green strip on right of bike path is too thin to handle the trees

Because of this planning decision 10 years ago to allow for such a thin strip, as the trees have grown they have caused bulges in the bike path that have needed repair.

The reasoning was correct to remove the trees. However the reasoning to not replace the trees was flawed. Legacy Oaks argued that they have planted over 40 additional trees over the last couple years in and around their property. Note: Legacy Oaks is a private development.

I think it’s great Legacy Oaks is a tree friendly development and sees the value in additional plantings. My problem is these plantings are not street trees in the public right of way. Since Legacy Oaks is a posted private development any trees inside the property should not qualify as street trees. 

The BOC clearly (with the exception of Doug Brown last night who did bring up the some of the many benefits) seems to not understand or buy into the value street trees. A street tree is specifically one that is in the public right of way directly adjacent to a street vs. an ornamental tree which is a part of the landscaping. With street trees placing and spacing is critical. Street trees serve a different purpose then landscaping trees.

This is a great article that outlines 22 benefits of street trees.

Last night before the vote I wanted to make a comment proposing a compromise. Unfortunately it was missed before the vote. I think it was a simple oversight as I was in the back of the room.

This photo shows an area where 8 trees can easily be replaced in the seback. Still serving the function of a street tree but safely away from the bike path.

Basically after taking a look at the area, I believe at least 8 of the trees could very easily be replaced by being moved into the setback. (see attached diagram/map, green circles) There is enough space so the trees can still provide the functions of a public street tree while being moved safely away from the path. For the remaining 12 trees that cannot be replaced in this area the HOA should be required to pay replacement costs so that trees can be installed in other areas of the township.

What do you think about this compromise?

Stormwater Pond gets Help Getting More Natural

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Scott Alderfer the chair of our township Environmental Advisory Council writes on his blog, ‘Streamhugger’ about the Penns Meadow rehabilitated stormwater project.

This past Saturday, our township’s Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) joined forces with our local Boy Scout Troop (Troop 131 of Wescosville, PA) to accomplish our goal of planting over 360 aquatic and wetland plants in and around the Penn’s Meadow pond.  Twenty-four boy scouts and 17 parents of scouts got down and dirty, and occasionally wet, while planting the native wetland plants that will provide cover and shelter for some of the wildlife that passes through or resides at the location.  In addition to EAC members, the scouts, and their parents, the work crew also included seven local residents who heard about the workday on Facebook and wanted to be a part of it.

Residents seek Township assistance for increased flooding

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Two residents came before the Board of Commissioners last Thursday seeking assistance in order to attain a federal FEMA buyout of their properties in Ancient Oaks on Spring Creek Rd.

The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program utilizes 75% Federal funds, 22% State funds and 3% from other sources. In this case the residents are requesting township funding to cover the 3%.

I had the chance to visit one couple who owns one of these 3 homes yesterday located in Ancient Oaks. It’s important to note the gentleman I spoke with purchased his home in 1996. This was before the last building boom and more importantly before the Wal-Mart was built.

I firmly believe that the Wal-Mart swale (that floods out Spring Creek Rd. after most major rain events) is a major contributor to our flooding issues. As most township residents can attest and have seen first hand, the waterflow across Spring Creek from Wal Mart and Upper Macungie Township resembles a raging river during floods.

I mention this because I believe this entire neighborhood within Ancient Oaks (approx a dozen homes) is affected because of development decisions made by UMT and LMT over the past 2 decades. I especially feel for the residents who purchased their homes long before these decisions were made and the floodplain increased.

Thursday at 4pm the residents will plead their case in front of Doug Brown and Ron Eichenberg at the planning and zoning committee. I fully support the township stepping up and funding 3% of the costs to buy-out these homes. Again, especially in the case of homeowners who purchased their homes in the 90’s the township has a moral responsibility to make amends for poor development decisions of the past.

Ancient Oaks in Lower Macungie Township

Affected neighborhood in Lower Macungie has seen increase in flooding over last 15 years. Residents whose homes are frequently flooded are seeking assistance.

Parks & Rec comprehensive plan kickoff meeting 9/17!

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Parks & Rec comprehensive plan kickoff meeting 9/17!

  

Next Monday September 17th will be the Township Parks & Recreation comprehensive plan kickoff meeting! The township recieved a grant to fund planning as part of the Greenway Project. Lower Macungie Township has been the fastest growing municipality in Pennsylvania for the last decade with tremendous residential growth resulting in a population change of approximately +12,000 residents since 2000 representing a 40% increase.

Why now: The last Comprehensive Recreation Plan was prepared in 2000 prior to the most recent population surge. Currently the township owns28 parks and most of the 500 year floodplain surrounding the Little Lehigh River and Swabia Creeks. (Credit should be given to previous supervisors and township leadership for aggressively collecting floodplain over the years.) Since the last plan we have also constructed the community center and hired a Recreation Director.

Since so much has changed so rapidly in the township over the last 10 years a comprehensive review of our Parks system makes alot of sense at this time. For ex. I’ve been extremely supportive of creating a township supported dog-park funded largely by private donations and fundraising. This is a great example of an idea that can be explored within the context of reviewing all 28 of our township parks to find the best potential future home for a possible dog park.

Outcomes: As part of this review we’ll be able to assess any needs our community may have that aren’t currently being served, the strengths of our system and identify any weaknesses. It’s important to note our current Parks and Recreation committee has done an excellent job over the past few years identifying a 5 year plan and budgeting for on-going park maintenance. The upcoming comprehensive review will only give the committee more resources and strenghten their ongoing efforts by tying the process into the larger budget picture more clearly.

Participate! We need the public to come to the kickoff meeting! It will be held at 6pm on Monday the 17th. There will be opportunities to voice your feedback, thoughts and your take on the future direction of our parks system. I hope to see you there!

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie upcoming Town Hall in LMT

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Rep Mackenzie will be holding two town hall meetings in August. One will be here in LMT at the Community Center on August 8th, 2012 at 7pm.

From his website:

EMMAUS Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Berks/Lehigh) announced today that he will host two town hall meetings in August.

Town hall meetings are a great forum for citizens to share with me their concerns about state government and our community, said Mackenzie. These discussions are an important tool for me to determine how my office can best serve area residents and the legislative priorities of our district.

How residents can address speeding concerns

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At a June BOC meeting a half dozen township residents came to express concerns regarding speeding issues on Millcreek Road, specifically the curvy area near the Schmoyer Bridge over the Little Lehigh Creek. 

At this same meeting the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) gave their annual report. Officer David Nosal overviewed what happens when a resident complains about excessive speeding. The PSP provides primary police coverage in the township.

PSP protocol: Typically, when complaints are recieved for a particular road, PSP will monitor the area and collect data over a set period of time. During this time PSP will issue citations. Periodically, officers will review the data to determine if the area warrants continued presence. In the case of Millcreek, the data showed that people weren’t regularly exceeding the limit by more then 5mph. (the threshhold for a ticket) So enforcement ended.

Clearly in this case, the issue isn’t enforcement. The PSP has done it’s job and determined based on data that people aren’t speeding excessively. Now, this isn’t to say there isn’t an issue. I believe firmly that there definitely is on this stretch and other similiar.

I visited this stretch on a bicycle the other day and stopped to talk to some neighbors. It’s posted 35mph. If you’re brave enough to take your life into your hands, bike it you’ll know immediately that 35 mph simply doesn’t work here. For most of us, it’s a choice to walk or bike this stretch and we can choose not to. But for the residents who live here, (I counted over a dozen homes) there is no choice. They must interact with this dangerous street to get out driveways and to collect mail.

It’s my opinion the issue here isn’t enforcement but rather the speed limit itself. This particular road is a township road. Therefore the township controls the speed limit. It’s my opinion that when considering the speed limit we need to move beyond simple road classifications and use more common sense.

This area is an old neighborhood. Some houses have been there decades. One in particular was a former 1 room schoolhouse built in 1850. The road here is particularly windy and dangerous. Site lines are awful. If you do the math and figure the space it takes to stop when travelling 40 mph and take into account where the driveways are, you quickly figure out that this corridor is a recipe for tragedy.

I’m going to do some digging on what options residents have when they believe a speed limit is innapropriate for a certain road. Im also going to follow the Millcreek issue closely. As of now the issue has been sent to the public safety commission.

The issue is again on the Board of Commissioners agenda tonight in the form of a resident communication to Congressman Dent. The Board of Commissioners meeting is 7pm in the township building.

 

What you can do if you have a speeding complaint:
Any township Rd: Call the PSP and ask for targeted enforcement
You can contact the Fogelsville Barracks at: (610) 706-0613

State Roads: You can contact our state representatives office. Contact Ryan Mackenzie: Emmaus Office (610) 965-9933

Township Roads: You can contact the township at: (610) 966-4343

Jaindl verdict could come soon

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Jaindl verdict could come soon

The commonwealth court could rule on the Jaindl zoning soon. Or it could be another month. There is no way to tell.

The court will either uphold Judge Varrichio’s decision that invalidated the re-zoning or it will overturn the decision. Varrichio’s ruling concluded the advertisement of the zoning by the township was “misleading” because, among other things, the location of the lands being re-zoned was omitted.

Before adopting this ordinance in 2010, our newly elected officials Ryan Conrad, Ron Eichenberg, Roger Reis and Doug Brownentered into a confidential written agreement with Jaindl, agreeing to change our zoning and abandon an agricultural protection ordinance that had been in place for 23 years. The appellants also argued this represented contract zoning, but the Judge only ruled on the technical aspect last summer. Depending on the outcome contract zoning could come back into play.

This new zoning will allow Jaindl to develop potentially hundreds of new homes, 4 million square foot of massive warehouses and typical strip/big box commercial. All on land that for 2 decades was preserved through zoning as agricultural and according to the Lehigh Valley comprehensive plan was to remain designated as such. The tract is located in the extreme western portion of the township.

Possible outcomes:
Appellants and community win: Jaindl and the township would have to persuade the Pa. Supreme Court to hear an appeal.

Appellants and community lose: The court will remand the case back to Judge Varricchio to deal with contract zoning.

Public works committee to recommend 25 MPH speed limit on section of Millcreek

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Public works committee to recommend 25 MPH speed limit on section of Millcreek.

Posted on June 25, 2012 at 6:47 pm

A week ago I blogged about resident concerns on Millcreek Rd. – How residents can address speeding concerns.

At the June 25th public works meeting, the committee voted to recommend to the full Board of Commissioners a reduction of the speed limit to 25MPH on a section of Millcreek. (from 35MPH).

The specific section of road is from the intersection with Spring Creek (Spring Creek is a state road) to the intersection with Saurkraut. The particular portion of the road could be reduced without any further studies.

The board also discussed the possibility of reducing the remaining ‘upper’ portion of Millcreek Rd. up to the intersection with Willow Ln.

The rationale for the lower portion took into account the dangerous curves and short site-lines of the stretch. Just a few days ago there was yet another accident on this portion. A resident pulling out of their driveway was rear-ended by an approaching car coming from over the Schmoyer Bridge.

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The Lower Macungie Township Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) held a invasive plant removal event last Saturday at the township Krazter Farm Property on Willow Lane. I stopped by to check it out and learn about the project from EAC Chair Scott Alderfer.

Scott led Scouts and parents from Troop 131 of Wescosville targeting invasive species and replacing them with native plants. Invasive species rapidly spread and outcompete natives. Native species that were planted include winterberry holly, viburnum, spice bush, christmas ferns and mayapple.

The Kratzer Farm is 86 acres located primarily in East Texas bounded by Willow Lane and Lower Macungie Road. The township has owned the property for 15 years. It currently rents much of the the agriculture portion to farmers on 5 year leases. The very successful community garden program is also located on the property. The portion where the Little Lehigh crosses through the farm is a popular fishing spot. In the future according to the master plan the township greenway trail could potentially run through the farm and may include a loop around the property.

EAC and the Boy Scout troop 131 teamed up to tackle invasive species in LMT Credit Ron Beitler

According to Alderfer, the EAC applied for and recieved a 500 dollar matching grant to pay for the costs of the native plants. The EAC is an appointed board of volunteers that makes recommendations to our Board of Commissioners. They are provided a small budget which is used for project implementation and community education.

The EAC has a free educational event coming up this Thursday.  Here’s the link to the flyer.http://www.lowermac.com/library/file/TEMP/EAC Residential Tree Care Event.pdf

For more information about the EAC visit here.
To learn more about the Kratzter Farm.