Preserving trees and planting new ones, while also saving barns and historic structures are recommendations from a team of University of Pennsylvania graduate students who conducted studies in South Whitehall this spring and summer.

At the Nov. 7 commissioners’ meeting, Ellen Neises, from the university’s Department of Landscape Architecture, presented a report on the project which was a part of the Penn Praxis design program.

The students’ research focused on Vistas Park near St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church; Walbert Avenue; the King George Inn and the Hamilton Boulevard and Cedar Crest Boulevard intersection; and the vacant Kmart property along Tilghman Street.

At Vistas Park, the Penn students interacted with nearby residents to learn what the community wanted there.

Recommendations include running and walking paths, a native arboretum, many more trees, and a play area with sand pit, slides, swings and water fun.

“We’d like to see this as a community space, like a neighborhood backyard,” Neises said.

After looking at Walbert Avenue from Route 309 to the City of Allentown, the Penn Praxis team came up with many recommendations.

Neises commented on the area.

“Walbert Avenue is designed for cars, not people,” Neises said. “A large portion of frontage is empty. This could be a lot more interesting place. This is a window of opportunity before developments come in.

“We suggest promotion of a string of villages with more trees and bus shelters, bike paths and pedestrian walkways, and retail closer to the road with parking in the back.

“We like to preserve and enhance iconic landmarks and thicken the tree canopy.”

She referred to the massive Ridge Farm mixed use development proposed on the hillside at Cedar Crest Blvd. and Walbert Ave.

“Preserve the trees and preserve the barn or move it and use it elsewhere. Support the adaptive reuse of buildings and revise the code to promote stormwater features that create a sense of parkway,” advised Neises.

For the King George Inn, the Penn Praxis team observed removal of the additions would give more space to manage the stormwater.

At Kmart, the Penn study suggested a “reinvention” which would include a slim down of the parking lot, more trees, and a network of paths.

South Whitehall Director of Community Development George Kinney reported the Penn Praxis concepts will be taken into consideration in the comprehensive plan update scheduled for 2019.

“We’ll introduce these concepts publicly and see what reactions we get. We’ll have conversations with business and property owners and the public.

“We’ll get people to think not just about quantity, but quality, of development.

“We’ll see if other people are interested in these ideas. We can put more teeth into it in the future through zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances,” stated Kinney.

He noted the revised comprehensive plan can set the policy that will allow more design options.

“Then we would adjust the regulatory ordinances to implement the comprehensive plan,” explained Kinney.