Lower Mac BOC Agenda Preview Aug 4th

Posted on August 3, 2016 by admin

HERE IS A LINK TO THE AGENDA WITH DETAIL
All township BOC meetings are available on video online
You can also always watch all our board meetings live on Channel 66 RCN cable.

I apologize for missing the last few meetings. Life has been busy + busiest time of year for work and also a number of time consuming township issues of which I’ll do my best to keep folks updated. Here is your agenda preview for the Thursday Aug 4th township meeting.

Announcements & Presentations:

We will hear a presentation from Kirk Summa on the 2015 Audit. The Single Audit Act of 1984 established requirements for audits of States, local governments, and Indian tribal governments that administer Federal financial assistance programs. (While local gov’t reliance on federal assistance is not necessarily a good thing these audits are). The yearly audit consists of the following exercises:

1. An examination of the general-purpose financial statements and teh auditor opinion
2. A review of compliance based on an examination of the general-purpose financial statements in accordance with the standards issued by the United States General Accounting Office
3. A study and evaluation of internal controls (accounting and administrative)

Library board update. These are the library board members and description of duties. Thank you board members for your volunteerism!

Presentation on the future of the Lehigh County Regional Wastewater System. This is a very important presentation and update. In 2009, EPA issued an Administrative Order to all the municipalities served by the regional sewer systems (that includes us). The order requires all municipalities to make major improvements to sewer systems. Specifically, to eliminate overflows.

Here are some links to get you up to speed if you are not.
My blog on Infiltration and Inflow 101 – overview of the overflow issue/problem.
Why is this important now? The federal mandate.
What the township has already had to spend in an effort to reach compliance. This is a massively expensive problem. And will continue to be for the foreseeable future. So far we have done this without significant rate increases. From 2009 to now the quarter rate has only increased about 10 dollars. We struggle with the question on whether we will be able to continue with that. This will certainly be a topic of conversation Thursday.
2009: $650.000
2010: $1,000,000
2011: $300,000
2012: $700,000
2013: $400,000
2014: $250,000
2015: $ 250,000
2016 projected $250,000

Hearings and approvals.
Conditional Use Hearing – Salvador Galindo Veterinary Hospital
This is a fairly minor land development on Hamilton Boulevard. It’s an existing building that will be converted into a veterinary hospital. A good reuse project. Example of what we need more of as opposed to strip and box retail.

Lot Line Adjustments and Land Development Plan Approval for Trexler Business Center
We will be talking about this at committee today at 4:30. This meeting as always is open to the public. It is expected the applicant will be asking for a waiver of the traffic impact fee. I will post an update on this discussion on my FB page tonight. Aside from that outstanding (but major) issue, this is an ok project but with an outstanding anchor. That is in terms of fit and impact. Unfortunately, it is another project that by and large was grandfathered many years ago. For what it is I think the developer worked with us to improve it on many aspects. But it still is yet another large big box, strip and pad retail/commercial project.

Pre-Construction Agreement for Spring Creek Properties Lots 7 & 8 (Liberty at Spring Creek) This also will be talked about today at Committee. Public encouraged to attend. Will update on my facebook page tonight.

Communications
Chris Greb from the Macungie Ambulance corp is requesting the township consider a portion of the Kratzer farm for a new ambulance station. See letter below. I support exploring this as part of the Kratzer Farm master plan study. Where is the Kratzer Farm? The additional station was needed 6 years ago because of growth. The corp currently leases a small area at the Wescosville Fire Station. Problem is this arrangement was temporary with an understanding the LMFD would need this space at some point.

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.