Friction between officials and residents that began during the Aug. 26 Hanover Township supervisors meeting, held at the township community center, carried over into the Sept. 9 meeting.

According to the meeting minutes, 19 residents voiced their opposition to a proposed zoning amendment for the Airport Flightpath Highway Business District (AFHBD). The rezoning could pave the way for new warehouse development on the township’s largest remaining open tract of commercially zoned land near Lehigh Valley International Airport.

During the latest meeting, board vice chair Jean Versteeg said supervisors received a Sept. 1 email from a resident expressing concerns, and it contained a letter signed by multiple residents, and “my name and my former address was included in this list. And I want to make it clear that this resident did not have permission by me to include my name in this letter,” she said.

“I commend our residents for being engaged. But I would caution them to be careful in their actions and statements, especially if they intend to speak on behalf of others,” said Versteeg.

Most of the meeting was dedicated to public comment on the AFHBD development plan, which would feature a cluster of up to 10 buildings, each no larger than 400,000 square feet, a 400-foot buffer, 14-foot landscaped berms, and some 60 acres leased for township recreation and open space.

Speakers expressed skepticism about the tax valuation of new warehouses and raised many concerns; increased traffic; noise pollution; water runoff issues; new challenges for emergency responders; and new warehouses sitting vacant for prolonged periods.

Resident Glynis Daniels said the process lacks transparency. “We are not seeing the proposal, the proposed ordinance change that was developed by the working group that our township paid for. Instead, we’re seeing a completely different proposal that apparently was developed by the developer and the airport. We’re a little disappointed in that process. It’s already been sent to the planning commission,” she said.

“It’s over 2 million square feet of warehouse space. I think some members of the board have made a big deal about the buffers, but current zoning requires any warehouse use to be 500 feet from a residential district. So, your 400-foot buffers are not impressing us,” Daniels said.

Jennifer Levins commended the board’s rejection of the original version of the zoning amendment in 2023, but said she felt like her fellow residents aren’t being considered.

“You could have a building 150 feet from your property line, and it could be 160,000 square feet. Our taxes have been flat for 18 years, clearly because of really good development. We don’t have to keep pushing warehouses to solve the problem with the tax base,” she said.

Lee Stanley made a plea not to alter the current zoning. “That zoning ordinance is our treasure. It protects us from damage to our quality of life. We should not barter that treasure for anything less than serious concessions” by developer Majestic Realty, he said.

A representative from the development company was not present at the meeting and supervisor Stephen Gross was absent.