Township Manager Sandra Pudliner gave a presentation of her meeting with the Rockefeller Group during Hanover Township's council meeting May 15.

The Rockefeller Group is a commercial land development company based in New York that has expressed an interest in land near the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Most of the land available for development is located in Allen Township, but the only reliable access to the facilities, according to Pudliner, would be on Willowbrook Road, which is owned by the township.

"The discussions are very preliminary," said Pudliner. "They are proposing two separate million-square-foot warehouses. They estimate that truck traffic will be around 3,000 trucks per day."

Increase in traffic generated the most concern.

"It doesn't seem reasonable that someone would put that kind of an operation in the center of the Lehigh Valley," said Councilman Randall Atkinson after the meeting. "When you see big distribution operations like that, they are usually on the outskirts of town."

Council Chairman Frank Dreisbach expressed concern with the proposed development.

"The company may need access to the airport," said Dreisbach.

He recalled that LVIA once considered proposals to become an airfreight hub, but nothing concrete came of the discussions. The development group would not reveal the name of the warehouse owners.

"There might be a portion of the development that is in the township and we could use that as a lever. But there is little we can do to stop the project," said township Solicitor Jackson Eaton. Other than Allen Township, the only governing body with any authority is the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

According to Pudliner, the developer is willing to invest millions of dollars to upgrade Willowbrook Road.

"Even if Willowbrook is upgraded, the truck traffic is added to Race Street and Route 22," Atkinson said. "I don't see how that's a benefit to the Lehigh Valley."

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In other business, the council approved tax appeals made by several business owners.

"The revenue decrease will not impact the township," said Eaton.

The township has the lowest municipal tax rate in the state. A decrease in the valuation of a property has minimal impact.

"The school district is the one most affected," said Eaton. "They [school district] signed off on the agreement."

Township Engineer Fredrick Hay reported that the township, on the recommendation of the state fish and game representative, dumped 50 pounds of small baitfish and shiners into Hanover Lake. Shiners serve as meal for preferred sport fish like bass that the township is cultivating.

The township plans to open the lake to catch and release fishing next season, although some residents have said they spotted anglers on the far side of the lake during early morning hours.