At the Allen Township Board of Supervisors meeting Feb. 26, the board approved the JW Partners warehouse project that has been under consideration for the past 26 months.

The arguments presented by residents were not markedly different from those presented at prior meetings.

The zoning change completed well before this board considered the project and the Northampton Area School District Board of Education’s decision to give land to the project contributed to the decision for this development project.

What is considered important and significant is that developer David Jaindl did address concerns by the various boards involved and local residents.

A question asked by Supervisor Dale Hassler at an earlier meeting was why the developer would want to put warehouses nearly 8 miles from a multi-lane highway. Hassler’s question was coupled with resident Sue Lindenmoyer’s concern that 1,600 trucks from the nearby Liberty warehouse project and 1,400 from the Jaindl project will get dumped onto a two-lane road.

“It is the best use for the land. You will find warehouses where they can be permitted because there is a need for them,” Jaindl said. “Most warehouses are situated on two-lane roads that lead to major highways.”

Jaindl and AnnMarie Vigilante, JW Development’s traffic engineer, explained traffic counts. To get approvals, developers must use a standard expected traffic number. The number is higher than what might be expected. If traffic counts exceed projections, someone at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is going to be called to the carpet. The numbers are conservative and need to account for projected traffic based on accumulated data.

Vigilante’s original numbers called for holding lanes that would extend 85 feet. The holding lane stores trucks at an entrance or intersection while the truck ahead is stopped or turning. Lanes need to be long enough; otherwise, waiting trucks will crowd through traffic vehicles. An accepted standard is that trucks waiting would not queue past the holding lane 95 percent of the time.

As one resident pointed out, the 5 percent is usually during rush hour. Jaindl’s holding lane was increased to 250 feet, and when the intersection of Seemsville Road was moved farther east, the holding lane was extended to 450 feet.

Increasing the length of the holding lanes was designed to give residents like Jerry Neff a better sight line. Neff lives along Route 329. Jaindl spoke privately with Neff, who voiced his concern that backing onto Route 329 was a safety hazard even now. Jaindl offered to work out a solution, maybe a turnaround pad at his residence.

The next biggest concern, and one Allen Township Planning Commission Chairman Eugene Clater is partisan to, is a turning lane off southbound Howertown Road turning right (west). The lane is in the plan, but the owner of the Shell station on the corner is not willing to sell the land necessary for the turning lane. The lane is not required by PennDOT engineers. The existing agreement is to keep the lane on the plan. Once the project is complete plus 18 months, the plan for the lane would be dropped if deemed unnecessary. The lane could be resurrected again if needed up to an additional 18 months.

Clater and members of the board want to be sure that the turning lane will be built when needed, so the parameters changed slightly. The requirement would stay on the plan until 18 months after the last warehouse is occupied. The new time frame gives the township and traffic planners time to assess the full traffic pattern. The developer needs to actively work with the owner of the Shell station to secure the land for the turning lane during the project. The township could take the land by eminent domain if necessary.

Jaindl reiterated changes made to accommodate neighbor concerns. Added improvements include four turning lanes at the Kopper Penny intersection, berms and landscaping, reorienting the buildings, enhancing building elevations, minimizing lighting glare, truck holding areas with private electrical pods to reduce idling, stormwater improvements and extending a public water line to residents along Mud Lane.

The developer is required to provide the township with $56,000 for recreation, or 5.6 dedicated acres. Jaindl is transferring 40 acres, of which he claims about 8 acres are wetlands. Residents differed on the calculation; most assume all 40 acres are not usable. The recreation committee has a plan that incorporates this location as a hub that ties all township recreational areas together.

Hassler still wanted recreational funding. Jaindl will review the plans and will make some contribution as long as it advances recreational areas.

Truck traffic enters the development on a new Seemsville Road. Private vehicles enter off Howertown Road. There are designs to keep the two types of vehicles separate. Supervisor Gary Behler asked for a mast arm that would prevent trucks from entering or leaving the facility via Howertown Road. The request was granted.

Jaindl’s goal is to make the project a model warehouse development. Included in the project’s future are provisions that allow for adjustments to the traffic pattern once the project is at full capacity.