The second meeting of the month for the Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors commenced on Tuesday, February 22. On the top of the agenda was a motion to form an ad hoc committee, a committee established by the Board of Supervisors to help with a certain purpose or project. In this case, the ad hoc committee will be working on the updating of zoning ordinances. Once the revisions are finalized by the committee, they will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
The committee would be composed of the solicitor for the planning commission, planning commission engineers, members of the planning commission, zoning officer, and a few township residents that expressed interest. The meetings will be open to the public, and anyone with questions can address these concerns at that time. The ad hoc committee was approved, and the first meeting was to be held on Wednesday, February 23 at the township building on Municipal Road.
Residents are still presenting concerns about the Cherryville Road intersection. The concerns stem from entering and exiting the Turkey Hill gas station. The township has submitted plans for the updated changes in that area. The plan is to include a future northbound turning lane. Township Supervisor Phillip Gogel stated, “The township has a great sense of responsibility if we created a problem.” PennDot is currently handling the project along with the expended township grant for the intersection.
In old news, there has been much discussion on a new proposed ordinance 2022-1, amending chapters 103 and 111 to update what is considered noise. The proposal puts into play updated language to current zoning operation hours. The concern is that industrially zoned properties would be held liable if they made noise outside of a “legitimate purpose” on their property after certain established hours. Including the definition of “legitimate purpose” was voted down, but a motion to make the update was approved. There have been no noise citations for commercial businesses to date. One major change is that it now holds property owners responsible for their tenants. The noise ordinances haven’t been updated in over 20 years.
Finally, a comprehensive plan, which presents a concept of how the township is going to look in the future, will be voted upon by the board in the coming months. The plan is available for review on the township website, www.lehightownship.com. It is a critical plan that includes recommendations on housing and land use for the municipality. Without updating zoning codes, future planning goals may not be obtainable. The presentation will be open to the public, and the public is encouraged to come out and review their property changes. A date has yet to be set for the meeting. The Lehigh Township Planning Commission worked on this comprehensive plan which is being presented to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
Lastly, township Supervisor Cynthia Miller announced her running for Senate in the newly formed 14th District on the Republican ticket.
The next Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.
