Rt. 100 corridor study is warning, not a roadmap.

Posted on March 28, 2016 by admin

Earlier this year at the request of the Board the township engineer prepared a report evaluating anticipated traffic impacts and associated liabilities resulting from three potential development scenarios of Rt. 100. They range from least to most intense.

To summarize:
Under the current scenario because of decisions made by the prior board including two ill advised rezoning decisions, both in conflict with comprehensive plans, corridor congestion will increase. Including an exponential freight volume increase.

However, the worst case scenario can still be avoided. That is, if the township stops rezoning land for more development and stays on track with land preservation and smart growth goals. We’re making progress. Most recently we put in motion plans to preserve 66 acres of farmland off Rt. 100. If this property is preserved we will take 75 homes and 100,000 SF of commercial off the table. By preserving today, we avoid traffic liabilities tomorrow. The way I see it, this corridor study is not a roadmap, but rather a warning. If we go off the rails again, we certainly end up with Rt. 100 the same as Fogelsville. What happens will be determined over the next 6 years.

Rt. 100 is going to get more traffic. But we can still avoid this.

Below are two engineering representations of additional capacity improvements needed under our current situation and under the worst case scenario.

Current Scenario:
Improvements slated to be built:
Rt. 100 and Weilers
-Left turn lane off Weilers Rd and Rt. 100 and a right turn lane off Rt. 100 onto Weilers Rd. Both associated with Jaindl Spring Creek Warehouses.

Rt. 100 and Spring Creek Rd.
– Additional eastbound and southbound turn lanes, additional northbound through lanes and additional westbound shadow lanes. All associated with Jaindl Spring Creek Warehouses.

Sauerkraut Ln. Extension. (connect Sauerkraut all the way “through” to Spring Creek Rd. Associated with Jaindl Spring Creek properties warehouses to give tractor trailers another way “out” to Rt. 100.

Schoeneck Rd. and Rt. 100 re-alignment. (New Traffic signal) – To address existing safety concerns related to freight traffic.

New signalization of Gehman and Rt. 100. New signalization and turn lanes on Rt. 100 and Willow. Associated with “Grandview” crossings. (Allen Organ supermarket and apartments)

Current situation – Includes these approved but not yet online land developments: -Jaindl Spring Creek Properties 4,785,000 SF of high cube warehousing. (result of 2010 rezoning) -Allen Organ supermarket and apartments – Grocery Store, fueling station and 200+ apartments. Rezoning approved by prior board. – Stonehill Meadows – 109 single family homes. Major upgrades will have to be made, but the roadway still avoids the character of Rt. 100 through Upper Macungie.

The worst case scenario – Traffic Armageddon.
Additional green, blue and white improvements outlined below are associated with the worst case scenario. This represents a roadway similar in character to Rt. 100 through Fogelsville. Along with it would come a major decline in quality of life and massive public liabilities that will fall on the backs of township taxpayers. This will happen unless the township remains serious about preservation. It totally depends on leadership maintaining it’s backbone.

This represents the worse case scenario. A sequence of 9 traffic signals. 4 lanes. Highway geometry. This represents full development of nearly entire corridor. Millions of dollars of needed capital improvements. All of which will have to be permanently maintained by Lower Macungie Twp. The look and feel of Rt. 100 in this scenario would be much like that in Upper Macungie.

Agenda Preview 3/17/16

Posted on March 17, 2016 by admin

Happy St. Patricks Day!

HERE IS A LINK TO THE AGENDA WITH DETAIL
All township BOC meetings are available on video online the next day at www.lowermac.com
You can also always watch them live on Channel 66 on RCN cable.

Announcements & Presentations:
We originally had two presentations scheduled for tonight however the Hamilton Crossings update has been pushed back to the 4/7/16 meeting.

The other presentation on the agenda is the LVPC update on the Southwest Lehigh Comprehensive Plan Update. If you cannot make it tonight for the update, we have all sorts of information here on the Plan Southwest Lehigh County Website!

Mark down these future dates to get engaged! So far over 1000 regional residents have either participated via survey or in person. We’ve had excellent public participation and feedback.

Under communication from the community a couple items of note:

First a thank you to Representative Ryan Mackenzie:

From the letter below: “I previously spoke with Commissioner Beitler about this issue. After our conversation, I reviewed HB 1683 and became a co-sponsor. I believe this bill will aid local governing bodies in recruiting and retaining volunteer first responders” – Ryan Mackenzie

This bill (HB1683) would allow us to give property tax credits to first responders including our volunteer fireman. I thank Ryan for his co-sponsorship. I’ll follow this and other similar bills closely and continue to be an advocate. Looking forward to working with Senator Pat Browne also on this issue.

Recruitment and retention of volunteer fire fighters is vital. Although we are in good shape today according to a recent fire study more incentives for recruitment and retention will ensure we remain in a good position. We depend on hard working and dedicated first responders on a daily basis to protect residents and properties.

Next a note a thoughtful letter from resident Julie McDonnel on the issue of whether or not to hire an in-house township engineer. This has been an ongoing conversation. To be honest, I’m still undecided on this issue. There are alot of pro’s and con’s. Julie outlines alot of items to be considered.

Last letter of note is from the LMT Library director. Kathee Rhode. The library is considering becoming a distribution point for a local CSA. I think this is an interesting idea worth considering. What’s a CSA? Learn here. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal produce directly from a farmer in their community.

Departmental and committee reports
We have 4 ordinances for consideration tonight. 3 deal with freight traffic:
1. Restricting Trucks on Creamery Rd. – You may have seen a guide rail was recently taken out by a truck attempting to turn on Creamery. No excuse for an 18 wheeler to be on this road. This ordinance is a no brainer. As we have to live with unfortunate decisions to increase warehousing made by prior boards we’ll have to continue working towards ensuring freight stays on appropriate routes.

2. Adding no parking zones on Industrial way. This is a safety and site distance issue that was brought up by the business owners along the roadway.

3. No parking on Gehman Rd. This was coming regardless as part of the Allen Organ development but was expedited at the request of PennDOT.

The last ordinance deals with tweaking and amending a couple SALDO standards. First, we are reducing the front yard setbacks in our commercial zone. This allows for better smart growth design allowing for friendlier neighborhood commercial design. This allows parking to be located to the side and rear of buildings. Visually that means…

THIS:

OR THIS

Eliminating arbitrary regulations like excessive setbacks + working with developers on design standards means higher quality development.

INSTEAD OF THIS….

A strip mall is categorized by large expanses of parking lot. Reduces setbacks gives developers the option to build more attractive neighborhood commercial designs.

Lower Mac’s all of the above Farmland Preservation strategy

Posted on March 15, 2016 by admin

I ran for Twp. Commissioner very clearly on a platform focused on farmland and open space preservation. In addition to protecting an irreplaceable natural resource I also believe preservation is linked to the health of our schools, keeping taxes low, protecting property values and our quality of life. Want to keep taxes low? Preserve open space. With about half my term over I wanted to write a post highlighting what we’ve accomplished.

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a panelist at Renew LV’s #saveitorpave it luncheon. I was very proud to be invited to overview the townships efforts. Here is what I shared with a room of about 75 local leaders and advocates. In the last two years Lower Mac has gone from throwing in the towel to having what I believe is one of the most aggressive and comprehensive preservation strategies in the Valley.

Lower Mac’s 6 pronged strategy. Using all the tools in the toolbox.

#1 The township is about to adopt an official map.
This was a goal outlined in my campaign. An official map is a combined map & ordinance designed to implement the goals and community vision set forth in adopted comprehensive plans. Basically if a preservation priority is on a municipal official map, once a developer notifies the municipality of their intention to subdivide, the municipality has up to a year to confirm its acquisition interest and negotiate to acquire the land. This will be the townships first line of defense. It makes sure the township has a fighting chance to preserve a property while respecting private property rights.

Learn more here – What is an official map.

#2 Zoning
We learned the hard way that zoning alone is not enough to protect our community. For over two decades the township relied primarily on agricultural protection zoning to preserve large swaths of prime farmland.

We all now know that an unfortunate number of circumstances combined in 2010 with a very pro developer Board of Commissioners and resulted in the loss of 700 acres of farmland that was for over two decades zoned protected. Zoning is one tool to keep in the toolbox, but zoning alone cannot be relied on to permanently protect farmland. It is not permanent and it is political. The wrong board can overturn protection zoning.

To this end the township planning commission has been instructed to work on a new conservation by design ordinance. Locations where growth is inevitable; smarter growth is the goal. Conservation by Design provides the opportunity for adding land to a community-wide network of open space. It manages growth while protecting natural and cultural resources for little or no public cost. It differs from traditional cluster developments in that it establishes higher standards for both the quantity and quality of open space.

Sprawl zoning on the left eats up all the open space. Conservation zoning on the right preserves and protects open space and natural features.

#3 The County Farmland Preservation Program. Lower Macungie now has 4 more properties with active applications in the county farmland preservation program! The county program purchases developments. When this happens enrolled properties are permanently protected farms. If all the farms with active applications are selected and preserved we could have nearly 300 more acres of protected farmland in Lower Macungie Twp by 2017. An important part of this strategy is identifying potential tracts and making sure owners are informed about preservation opportunities and benefits.

A 5th farm property went through the final step to preservation earlier this year. We now have an additional 55 acres of new preserved farmland off of Mountain Rd.

Lower Macungie commits funds to preserve 55-acre Heim farm

#4 Funding
I believe in market preservation. This means compensating landowners for their development rights or outright acquisition. To do this we need to fund programs. In the 2016 budget the township did this with a 500,000 line item and an additional 150,000 we can leverage with the county municipal match program. Muni match is a pilot program championed by County Commissioner Percy Dougherty and modeled after the very successful Northampton County program of the same type.

Turning 200,000 to 800,000 for farmland preservation.

#5 Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a market-based program that allows landowners to sell or transfer development rights from one property to a developer or landowner of another property who can use those rights to increase density of development.

In the case below we have a 200 acre agriculture property on our draft official map designated for preservation. Since the same landowner owns a 16 acre property that’s in an area designated for some targeted mixed use or village center density we can take advantage a TDR to transfer density to a more appropriate location. The result is promoting both the townships smart growth and preservation goals at the same time.

Family and township pursue transfer of development rights to protect 200 acre farm.

6. Act 4 reauthorization
Farmers and farmland generate a surplus of .75 cents on every dollar of taxes collected. This means farms pull their weight. And act 4 let’s us give them a break on tax increases.

Years ago Act 4 amended Pennsylvania’s Open Space Lands Act to allow counties, school districts and municipalities to reward landowners who have chosen to permanently preserve their land with conservation easements by freezing their property tax millage rates.

Lower Macungie, East Penn School District and Lehigh County all have Act 4 tax freezes instituted. End of last year we sent a letter to the Lehigh County Admin and Commissioners encouraging them to re-authorize Act 4. This means as an incentive to preserve, once a farm is in permanent protection landowners get a permanent tax freeze. This also helps farmers remain viable from a business perspective by shielding them from school property tax increases. This is a fair trade since in most cases by not developing their land they are helping to avoid over crowded schools.

Movie Tavern Field Trip to Exton.

Posted on March 11, 2016 by admin

A new Movie Tavern is being proposed as part of a small shopping center (small compared to Hamilton Crossings that is) on the Boulevard. The location is behind the Texas Roadhouse & Hamilton Animal Care.

Few key points:
1.) This area is zoned commercial. However, we’re forced to consider this proposal under a very old ordinance. That’s unfortunate since standards have gotten better over the years. I will say that the developer has been working with us to ensure better quality. The township appreciates that. A partnership is important. We set a new bar with Hamilton Crossings. Personally, I hope that over time we raise that bar even higher.

2.) According to multiple adopted comprehensive plans this is the appropriate location for commercial development in the township. Infrastructure already exists along the corridor. Major investments in the bypass were already made. Smart growth is building where public investments have already been made. While we should (and we are) working to preserve farmland and open space aggressively elsewhere in the township, this is the corridor where we must capture value. I think we can do a better job, but this is another step in the right direction in a more positive progression.

These are just a few of the latest moves we’ve made towards land preservation in the township:
–Turning $200,000 into $800,000 for farmland preservation
–Lower Macungie Preserves 55 acre farm

3.) We are early in the land development process. The developers were in front of the planning commission for the first time this past Tuesday. Long way to go and plenty of opportunity for public comment. One outstanding issue is protection of the stately and historic sycamore trees along Hamilton.

Whenever we get an anchor for a new development I take little field trips to check out similar design. In this case we have the same Movie Tavern prototype nearby in Exton PA. Main St. Exton is an excellent neighborhood commercial center. Movie Tavern one of it’s Main Anchors. Here are some photos I snapped:

The developer could ask for a variance to construct an LED marquee like Exton.

This design was created specifically for the Exton Shopping center. Movie Tavern had to make a new design to comply with West Whiteland Township’s very strict design guidelines. It was then copied in Flourtown, PA. And now is proposed here in Lower Mac. It’s a much better design in my opinion than the boilerplate Movie Tavern.

Brick patio and public plaza

Streetscaping elements throughout the shopping center are part of a coordinated design.

The Movie Tavern in Exton is a “3-sided” building. This is a good design characters. No walls visible from the public areas are blank.

Sycamore Trees and the Trexler Business Center

Posted on March 6, 2016 by admin

Lots of feedback on the Hamilton Boulevard Sycamore issue on social media. The Morning Call did a good piece that raised awareness. I wanted to reiterate to those concerned that township staff, planning committee and planning commissions position on the sycamores is that they must be preserved and protected.

The legacy of the sycamores is an invaluable asset to the corridor and the township. That cannot be stressed enough. They are without question the defining characteristic of the area. The historic tree canopy must be protected as a natural and historic resource. In this case the shopping center developer is also in agreement with us.

The problem remains PennDOTs requirement for a highway scaled deceleration lane. Beyond the tree issue the deceleration lane is also problematic on other levels as well. It directly conflicts with the vision laid out in the LMT/UMT corridor study that lays out a vision for a Boulevard concept. I’ve written alot about the need to de-stroadify the Boulevard & “bypass“. When we have PennDOT officials referring to the Boulevard as a “highway” in quotes in the papers to me that demonstrates that we have a fundamental disconnect.

In making argument against the deceleration lan, in our favor is that just down the street a we fought off a highway scaled deceleration lane associated with Hamilton Crossings. This was done to protect the LMTHS log home at Wescosville park. So here we have an almost identical situation except this shopping center is smaller.

Below, is the township planners review letter. In it you can read about a number of concerns with this project as a whole including the sycamore issue. The letter marks the beginning of the land development process. Review letters are completed by the township zoning officer, planner and engineer very early in the process to outline concerns. We hope to work with the developer to address them.

#PlanSWL opportunities – Take the survey! Get involved.

Posted on February 17, 2016 by admin

1.Did you get this postcard in the mail?

If so your participation in planning the future of Southwest Lehigh County is needed! If you got the postcard in the mail it means you were randomly selected to participate in the ‪#‎PlanSWL‬ survey.

Unfamiliar with #planSWL? Click here – What is #PlanSWL? If you got the card, please make sure go to the link and take the <10 minute survey. It’s your future, your priorities and your community. Make your voice count!

2. If you did NOT get the card. You can STILL participate! (The random selection was to ensure a control group for validity reasons – please do not “stuff the valid box” – Only fill out 1 time)

To take the survey please visit www.planswl.org and click the yellow header on the top of the page that says “Click here to take Survey“.

Why does cable TV get corporate welfare pass?

Posted on February 10, 2016 by admin

Why does cable TV get a free pass for the corporate welfare sales tax exemption they get? I follow almost every single State Rep. on Facebook. When you do that you quickly see that a lot of the “foot soldier” reps post the same identical things verbatim at the same exact time. This weeks ‘theme of the week’ post includes this:

“During his budget address today, Gov. Tom Wolf asked to add sales tax to your basic cable TV bill , movie theater ticket purchases and digital downloads.”

This excerpt post was from Rep. Hahn’s page. But as I said it’s posted virtually verbatim on at least 25 state Rep’s walls. Naturally, it spurred lots of anger. Very effective politically. But again, I ask why does cable get the corporate welfare pass? Cable companies enjoy an totally arbitrary sales tax exception that steals a quarter of a billion dollars from taxpayers a year.

I think they get the pass because it fits nicely into a populist political narrative. Very effective. People are frustrated. Every reason to be.

We’re not served though by a dumbed down & poorly worded question. A better question would be “Do you support closing corporate welfare loopholes in exchange for dollar for dollar property tax reduction“. If that’s the question than for me the answer is YES. I 100% support closing corporate welfare tax loopholes.

It’s perhaps a less politically expedient wording since it’s a more complicated narrative. Doesn’t fit into a nice concise bullet point or immediately illicit angry responses. It does though more closely reflect actual issues at play. The question is how do we shift revenue away from property taxes without increasing the net revenue we send to Harrisburg?

What I hope this isn’t, is a money in politics thing. I suspect it is. Cable TV is a dying business with an ultra powerful lobby. The fact there is no sales tax on cable TV is arbitrary corporate welfare. Do the math. . So in this post Rep’s try to cash in on populist anger with the added benefit of not upsetting corporate masters. (To be clear not accusing Marcia Hahn of take cable TV lobby money. This goes way above her. This falls on leadership who give the marching orders) A theme in alot of my posts about state Gov. is that leaders from both parties are generally guilty of serving special interests. Who represents us?

For the record, to be clear so this can’t be misconstrued: For me this is not about more and more and more revenue. I do not believe we need more revenue to fix a number of PA’s issues. We’re NOT an ATM for Gov. Wolf. I think we desperately need to shift the burden away from property taxes in dollar for dollar swaps. Closing corporate welfare loopholes is one way to do that. Problem is it’s a complicated conversation and doesn’t fit tidy in a pandering post and could upset big $$$. This is a reason why HB76, property tax elimination keeps swinging and missing.

Also raising the PIT without property tax reduction is certainly an issue. But the little throw in line about movie tickets, cable TV and digital media is populist trolling.

Related: I try to write about Lower Mac issues in depth and detail. Sometimes I get down into the weeds. That is because I have faith in voters intelligence. Lower Mac residents haven’t let me down. We have sophisticated voters. State Rep’s should take some shots at having more detailed conversations instead of cutting and pasting. Don’t be afraid of the tough conversations. I think voters appreciate it.

Peak Warehouse

Posted on February 9, 2016 by admin

Morning Call posted a story today “Upper Macungie to push for new I-78 interchange to relieve truck traffic“

“We’ve got to get another interchange in here,” township Supervisor Kathy Rader said. “In the next 20 years, they expect freight to double in this area. … The statistics are staggering.” – UMT Supervisor Kathy Radar

I generally agree. This interchange is critical. It must happen. We’ve built ourselves into a corner. But in order to avoid repeating the same mistake it must happen with the following caveats:

1. Warehouses and warehouse developers that generate the need and count on the free flow of freight should contribute to design and construction. Sounds like that’s happening to an extent with design. This offsets fact these businesses are a net drain on local economies. As I often say relating to muni budgets these land developments are fiscal parasites.

2. Zoning must be in place in combination with a farmland preservation strategy to prevent the area around any proposed intersection from building out in the same fashion as Rt. 100.

What can’t happen is for a new interchange to induce even more warehousing further westward. This would totally negate any benefits aimed at freeing up Rt. 100.

Think of roads as a system of pipes. In the day and age of GPS more so than ever before congestion will flow to where it’s least backed up. Rt. 100 is now a severe kink in the pipe. For this to work a new interchange must clearly be the path of least resistance. If we allow sprawling growth to surround a new interchange we will be having the same conversation 20 years from now. We have to stop the induced congestion cycle. Any new intersection must be accompanied with growth boundaries.

Break the cycle.

We have to break the cycle. A new interchange should be built for the purpose for handling existing traffic on Rt. 100. It can not be seen as vehicle to induce even more warehouses west of Fogelsville. This also relates to capacity on Rt. 22. We are already spending a BILLION dollars on the current widening project. The next induced widening may be impossibly expensive. Therefore we must get land use under control.

We have reached peak warehouse. We’ve built ourselves into a corner. The next steps will determine our quality of life relating to traffic, air quality and safety moving forward.

And yes, this fundamental problem relates to Pennsylvania’s highest in nation gas taxes.

PASenate votes to reduce the size of legislature

Posted on January 27, 2016 by admin

This week the Republican-controlled PA Senate voted 43-6 to reduce the House’s ranks from 203 to 151. (HB 153 spons. Knowles) Back in May the house did the same. Currently, at 253 members (combined), our state legislature is the 2^nd largest in the country. It’s also one of the most expensive.

Reducing the size of the house is something I generally support along with other essential reforms including term limits and elimination of the state pension for elected officials. Initiatives that altogether are aimed at reducing the states 60 billion dollar operating budget. Term limits and pension elimination go hand in hand, since once you enact term limits you by default eliminate the sentiment that going to Harrisburg is a career. Term limit pledges unfortunately can be broken. As we’ve seen recently in our area. Mandated term limits protect politicians from human nature and convoluted justifications to make a career out of it.

I support a paid legislature but to me the pension equals a career. Going to Harrisburg to serve is a calling not a vocation. State legislators should be paid salaries but only equal to the median income for the district represented. Today, PA legislators are, you guessed it.. among the highest paid in the nation.

203 is arbitrary.
There is no magic in the number 203; in fact the final number of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the result of a map drawing mistake made in 1968. The number that matters is 100,000. Over that amount of voters represented districts lose local flavor.
This proposed reduction would keep State Representative districts under 100k. (amount each represents) Right now districts stand at about 60k. Which again, was arbitrary. The proposed reduction would bring them up to around 85k. Only a 15k increase. Still in my opinion a manageable number. At this number constituent services would be maintained at a high level. High quality constituent services is the main benefit of a paid legislature. Basically we should seek a significant difference between the 250k (# a Senator represents) and the number a Representative does.

To do this requires a change of the state constitution. It’s a long process requiring both chambers approving an identical measure two years in a row. If this happens again next year the decision would go on the ballot as a statewide referendum.

Here is how local officials voted:
Senate: Boscola (D) & Browne (R) in favor of reducing size.
General Assembly: Mackenzie (R), Simmons (R), Day (R) in favor of reducing size and Schlossberg (D) against reducing size.

Update: 1/28
Having worked with both our local state Rep. and local State Sen. office I have seen no difference in the quality and level of constituent service provided. Even though Sen. Browne’s office represents 250k and Rep. Mackenzie’s 60k. Both staff’s do an outstanding job.
Question – Do you see any difference?

Also an at large county Commissioner represents about 70,000 people. So a state rep. office represents less today.

Do you have an Ash Tree on your property? If so PLEASE READ.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by admin

QUESTION:
Do you have an Ash Tree on your property? If so read carefully.
Unsure? How to identify an Ash Tree.

THE ISSUE:
The emerald ash borer is a half-inch long metallic green beetle. Larvae of this beetle feed under the bark of ash trees. Their feeding eventually girdles and kills branches and entire trees. Lower Macungie carried out an ash tree survey and found about 1,100 of them along the streets of township developments. Recently we have completed a management plan. Information on the public meeting is below. Since the Ash borer is coming to the Lehigh Valley. Residents have to prepare.

Because dead ashes are so dangerous to cut down, arborists charge steep fees to remove them. So while the cost of prevention can be steep, it’s cheaper in the long run. It’s critical we as a community stay ahead of this issue.

Morning Call – Warning to Lehigh Valley: Prepare for the Ash Borer

The ASH Borer!

WHAT CAN YOU DO – ASH STREET TREE PROGRAM:
Lower Macungie Township will hold a public meeting on February 22, 2016 at 7PM at the Lower Macungie Community Center, 3450 Brookside Road. See link below. The purpose is to inform residents of the emerald ash borer, an invasive bug species killing 99% of ash trees. The program will include information on a street tree removal and replacement program. Residents facing the expense of ash tree removal and street tree replacement are encouraged to attend.
More information: LMT FACEBOOK GROUP

Locations of Ash Trees in Lower Macungie based on recent township survey.

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