The Lehigh County Commissioners deferred a vote on whether to approve a tax increment financing (TIF) plan for the proposed Hamilton Crossings shopping center at its May 22 meeting.

Director of Community and Economic Development Cindy Feinberg recommended the deferral because the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has not had a chance to look at the traffic impact of the proposed project, which was a concern to some commissioners.

"The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss this at their May 28 meeting and then they will review it at their board meeting on the 30th, so I felt it was more appropriate to defer to get the information [the commissioners] were asking for," Feinberg said.

The proposed Hamilton Crossings shopping center is located along Krocks Road in between Route 222 and Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie. The shopping center would include a Target and a Costco. The developers have said the project would not happen without the TIF, which will be used to help pay for infrastructure upgrades such as road improvements, stormwater improvements and utility upgrades.

The TIF was approved by the East Penn School District at the May 20 meeting, but must be approved by the county and Lower Macungie before the project can move forward.

Commissioner Mike Schware again expressed concern about the county's involvement in the project.

"There are no county issues being addressed here," Schware said. "Yes, there's problems with the roads or the drainage or the utilities that need to be addressed, but that's not really a county problem. Just because the problem is in the county does not mean county taxpayers should have to pay for it."

Attorney Jonathan Hugg called the TIF "fundamentally unfair."

"It's inappropriate for the county to be picking winners and losers in the local economy, which is exactly what this county bill does," Hugg said. "The effect of this is to cannibalize the local retail economy."

Hugg said his clients, Trexler Plaza and Trexler Center, could lose tenants to the new shopping center if the TIF passes.

"This is an advertisement against my client's shopping centers and against all shopping centers in the area," Hugg said.

The currently vacant land brings in about $57,000 in property taxes for the East Penn School District and Lehigh County. The proposed $140 million shopping center would significantly raise the real estate taxes on the land. Under the TIF, 50 percent of the tax revenue from Hamilton Crossings over the next 20 years will be used to help pay for the project. Within that time frame, the East Penn School District would receive about $570,872 in tax revenue annually and Lehigh County would receive about $135,000 annually. After the 20 year TIF ends, the school district and county would receive the full tax revenue.

The bill will be voted on at the June 12 commissioner meeting in the public hearing room of the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown.

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In other business, for the second time in as many years, the search is on for a new Lehigh County Executive.

William Hansel resigned May 18 due to failing health. The county commissioners have until July 2 to fill the vacancy.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and hopes and prayers go out to Bill Hansel and his family," County Chairwoman Lisa Scheller said.

Applications for the position were due by Tuesday, 10 days after the vacancy. The deadline for recommendation from the intergovernmental and appointments committee is June 17. The commissioners then have until July 2 to fill the vacancy.

"Certainly we can move faster," Scheller said. "Because this is a very important position and because we are in the last six months of an existing term, commissioners can move faster than the July 2 deadline, and it is my personal recommendation that we do so."

The intergovernmental and appointments committee will hold the first round of interviews with applicants at a special meeting 6 p.m. June 10 in the public hearing room of the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown.

Director of Administration Tom Muller is acting as interim executive. Muller, a Democrat, is running against Republican candidate and current Lehigh County Commissioner Scott Ott for the county executive position in the November primary election.