At the Sept. 17 Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting, council approved two land development plans. One was a preliminary land development plan; the other was a preliminary/final land development plan.

A preliminary land development plan is a comprehensive set of drawings and documents submitted to a municipality for initial approval of a major development plan. This formal plan establishes the overall layout, including the proposed number and size of buildings or units, parking, street and lot layout and key engineering details like stormwater management.

The purpose is to gain conceptual approval of the development’s character and intensity, allowing the applicant permission to proceed with the more detailed final plan process.

A final land development plan is an officially approved, detailed blueprint that describes the proposed use and layout of a property, including the locations of buildings, roads, infrastructure and site features. It is the final version of a plan following a more general, or preliminary, plan.

Council approved resolution 2025-36 for the preliminary land development plan for a Raising Cane’s Restaurant at 1836 Catasauqua Road, Allentown.

Raising Cane’s is an American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1996 in Baton Rouge by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey. It is known for its signature hand-battered chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and Cane’s Sauce. The Raising Cane’s name comes from the founder’s yellow Labrador retriever who also serves as a company mascot.

Resolution 2025-37 approved the preliminary/final land development plan for Lehigh Valley Academy black box theater at 2470 Schoenersville Road, Allentown. LVA is a 1,800-student regional charter school boasting students from many Lehigh Valley school districts. The school operates classes in grades K-12.

Council voted to authorize the township manager to file the township’s annual minimum municipal obligation report. An MMO is an annual calculation of the minimum amount a municipality must contribute to its employee pension plans to ensure the plans are sufficiently funded. The plan must be annually submitted by the municipality to meet the requirements of Act 205 of 1984.

The Sept. 3 regular council meeting minutes were approved. Council also approved the bills for Sept. 17.

The next Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting was to be held Oct. 1 at the municipal building, 2202 Grove Road.