Residents living near a long-vacant clothing mill in Egypt packed the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners meeting room July 21 as the township's zoning hearing board, in a 3-2 vote, granted Allentown developer Nate Hyman permission to convert the factory into an apartment complex.

The vote ended a six-year hard-fought legal battle to bring the project to fruition.

The five-member board was hampered by what it could base its decision on since a Lehigh County judge remanded the case back to the zoning board in December on the basis that Hyman's proposal for apartments was no more of an impact on the Roosevelt Street neighborhood than the clothing mill, last occupied by Majestic Athletic Clothing.

Although the county court reversed the zoning board's denial to grant the variances and use, remanded to the zoners were issues of density and minor variances.

During testimony, Dennis Makovsky, who lives near the Hyman property, said he researched the issue, making comparables regarding footage of the apartments.

Appraiser Raymond Geiger, testifying on behalf of Hyman, said the apartment proposal is in line with similar projects in the region.

Zoning board member Lee Christman made the motion to grant Hyman's request for the variances, which would convert the 46,000-square-foot structure into 49 studio apartments.

"I make this motion based on the best interest of the township. I feel it will be a good project," Christman said.

Joining Christman in voting yes were Stephen Burda and Robert Reichard.

Voting no were President Alberta Scarfaro and Louis Jany. The board went into executive session to make the decision.

Hyman said he believes the apartment building will be something Egypt and the township could be proud of.

Replying to a question from The Press, Hyman said the next step is to obtain a permit from the township to proceed.

Construction may be several months away, Hyman noted.

An overflow crowd was present for the meeting. Two township police officers stood in the room as the one-hour-plus proceeding took place.