Kushner Real Estate Group was back in front of Hanover Township Council Feb. 5 with revisions to a plan for mixed-use development on property near American Parkway that presently houses St. Luke’s Hospital administrative center.

The company made a proposal late last year that was not received well by council. Township officials asked KRE to look at the plan again.

KRE is proposing a development of residential units near the Allendale Apartments complex. These would be high-end apartment-style town houses.

The company successfully developed nearby properties in Bethlehem Township (Madison Farms) and South Whitehall Township (Spring View).

KRE’s corporate position boasts 10,000 properties with an additional 6,000 coming on line. They also control 6 million square feet of commercial property.

The plan calls for residential development on lot three near Allendale Apartments and further build-out of commercial office space at an undetermined date for lot two near the existing St. Luke’s complex. The St. Luke’s facility is leased.

The demographic and target market are intriguing, but the limiting factor may be sewer capacity.

According to township Engineer Albert Kortze, capacity at the Allentown wastewater treatment plant is limited. The ideal situation for the township is to divert wastewater from Airport Center Mall and the Catasauqua treatment plant to the Allentown plant and combine the flows with the new project.

KRE is meeting with Lehigh County Authority, which runs the Allentown treatment plant, to discuss options. According to Kortze, the minimal allocations might not be available until 2024.

Council asked the developer to visit the site and look at options. KRE agreed to make the arrangements.

In other action, council appointed Josef Fragnito to head the public works department. Fragnito is expected to hire a new employee in the department.