The Jan. 10 meeting of the Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission began with an adjustment of planning commission members after the retirement of Vice Chairman Irv Keister.

John Hammer joined the planning commission and member Brent McNabb took Keister’s position of vice chairman.

Maury Robert and Anne Bartholomew had their terms extended as chairman and secretary respectively.

The first thing the planning commission discussed was the Dries subdivision at 3400 Brookside Road. The main issue with the development is the property in question was in the 500-year flood plain.

Dale Dries argued the location of the creek has changed since the maps were created. He claimed another local company, Terra Pipe, filled in the flood plain and moved the location of the creek.

Dries explained he didn’t have users for the property, claiming people did not want to invest money if the land was possibly in a flood plain.

Dries was requesting relief from the flood plain lines. His defense was the property was unique because it is in a flood plain and the creek that caused the property to be in a flood plain isn’t where the maps say it is. The next step is for Dries to prove to the zoning board the property is not in a flood plain.

The planning commission questioned whether the development could be done on a slightly smaller scale without the portion of property that could be in a flood plain. In addition, the planning commission argued Dries is not going about fixing the flood plain issue in the proper way and should have filled a complaint with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to get a new map of the area created.

Dries claimed the township does not follow its own ordinances arguing the township built its garage in a flood plain. The planning commission decided the issue with this case does not have to do with precedent, as some members feared, since each request is reviewed individually. In the end, the planning commission decided to not take action and wait for the zoning board to make their decision.

Next, the planning commission talked about Mack Truck parking revisions. Mack Truck is revising its previous plan to improve flow, since all operations are coming out of the Lower Macungie plant. There have been several front end improvements on the property including walking paths.

Mack Trucks also added employee and visitor parking and has provided a landscaping plan. When it comes to parking, 200 spaces for visitor parking and 200 spaces for employee parking as well as 400 spaces for truck parking have been added. Mack Trucks explained they are in the process of adjusting their assembly lines. The planning commission approved Mack Trucks’ plans.

The final topic discussed was the Ciocca-Audi preliminary plan. The planning commission addressed issues with connectivity and the possibility of the sidewalk being extended along Hamilton Boulevard.

Lighting was also discussed. Ciocca explained there would be a reduced number of lights and have been set to have an evening and late evening setting. The max intensity of lights would be 40-foot candles and all the circuits for lighting are dimmable.

The planning commission also wanted to discuss the cartway width, which they felt should not be more than 50 feet. They wanted Audi to agree not to park on the Suburu parking lot and inquired about improvements in the private alley between the showroom and Dunkin’ Donuts. An Audi representative explained there would be a full access entrance and exit on both Hamilton Boulevard and Schantz Road.

The planning commission approved Audi’s preliminary plan and land development plan. The only objection was George Doughtry, who felt it was not an appropriate area for a car dealership and it did not match the goals of the community.

The Lower Macungie Township Planning Commission meets 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Lower Macungie Township municipal campus. The planning commission holds a workshop the third Tuesday of each month when needed.

A joint meeting with the Macungie Planning Commission was scheduled Jan. 17 to discuss the Grandview project in addition to other development projects.