At its Aug. 6 meeting, Hanover Council received an update on the status of the FedEx project proposed for Allen Township. Last month, in a special meeting, council presented a list of issues with the project.

International shipping company FedEx has proposed the construction of a large warehouse hub in neighboring Allen Township that is expected to draw heavy traffic into the area, especially on Route 22, Airport Road, Race Street and Willowbrook Road in Hanover Township.

Representatives from the Rockefeller Group, who are the lead developers on the project, were present during the council's discussion and gave members feedback on status. According to their presentation, the Allen Township Board of Supervisors will review the project at its meeting scheduled for Aug. 14.

There was some confusion about where the project proposal was in the formal approval status. Township Solicitor J. Jackson Eaton reported he was told the entire project was presented as a preliminary/final plan. Under this definition, there is little alteration that can be done once approval is granted.

Clark Machemer, Regional Director for the Rockefeller Group, clarified the status.

"What will be reviewed by Allen Township at their meeting is a subdivision plan for three parcels – a preliminary plan for the full build out and a final plan for the first phase of the FedEx development," he said.

Hanover submitted 22 items to be addressed by the project team. According to Joseph Fitzpatrick, the attorney representing the Rockefeller Group, the developer and Allen Township have agreed to include all but three items on Hanover Township's list, and those three items are still under consideration. The three items include concerns about increased highway maintenance without any increase in revenue along with costs for equipment needed by the township's Han-Le-Co Fire Company for additional fire safety equipment.

The township did pay Gilmore and Associates to conduct a study on the impact traffic will have on Route 22. Council has expressed its fear that traffic will become so ensnarled on Route 22 that there will be gridlock in the township during heavy usage hours.

Traffic studies prepared by Pidcock Engineering and PennDOT show Route 22 can handle the additional load. The loading numbers used were a combination of FedEx numbers and standard traffic loading statistics. Machemer had addressed the matter at length during his previous presentations.

Eaton requested a meeting with PennDOT to address council's concern about traffic. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday. While Eaton was surprised that Penn-DOT scheduled the meeting so quickly, some credit needs to be given to the Rockefeller Group for pushing so the meeting could occur before today's Allen Township Supervisors meeting.

The Tuesday meeting with PennDOT was an executive session, not open to the press or the public.

Hanover Council has accused PennDOT of not providing sufficient data to make a judgment on Route 22. A further burr is that Route 22 was never included as part of the traffic analysis for the FedEx project. In the various discussions on traffic data, Route 22 was considered separately with a long-term plan designed to relieve traffic congestion without regard to the FedEx project. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission agreed the proposed improvements to Route 22, some of which extend out to 2026, will be able to accommodate FedEx and expected growth in the area.

The Hanover council disagrees with this approach and, to emphasize the point, hired Gilmore and Associates to conduct a traffic analysis of Route 22. Council did not feel that the Gilmore report received proper consideration. According to Fitzpatrick, the report was presented to Allen Township and PennDOT. However, Penn-DOT has control of Route 22.

According to council Chairman Bruce Paulus, one goal of the meeting with PennDOT would be to discuss the Gilmore report in detail and present the township's concerns about potential for gridlock during peak traffic hours.

In other action, council rejected an offer from Communities of Distinction to prepare a five-minute feature video highlighting the community. The proposed cost of $19,000 was too high, according to Councilman Curtis Wegfahrt, who voiced his skepticism about the company and its intentions.

Council received an appraisal for a vacant property adjacent to Canal Park. The home on the property burned to the ground. Council is considering making an offer for the parcel to build a storage shed near the park. Any new construction would require a new septic system which might be cost-prohibitive at this location.