During their meeting on Nov. 14, East Allen Township Supervisors participated in a conditional use hearing with the developers and project planners behind the proposed BrightFarms greenhouse. Developers are seeking a conditional use for intensive agriculture/produce operations.
According to its website, BrightFarms’ mission is to “give more people access to the freshest, tastiest, cleanest, most responsibly grown produce available.” Their proposed 113-acre greenhouse development along Locust and Arrowhead roads will serve as the company’s mid-Atlantic base, delivering fresh lettuce to grocery stores within 4 to 8 hours of the Lehigh Valley.
While some residents in attendance said they’re not thrilled with another new development in the township, others acknowledged that this development may be a small sign of what’s to come in the future of farming.
Four greenhouses, each 376,000 square feet and 20 feet tall, are planned for the development. It will also feature two “pack houses” where lettuce will be packaged.
Project Manager Nick Long said light encroachment on neighboring properties will be “zero.” Shades will block the glass greenhouses in the evening, while light fixtures on the property will spread downward.
Kate Bowdler, senior project developer, said these adjustments are lessons learned by the company following complaints at their former Bucks County location.
Engineer Just Ross said 67 trucks per day are expected at full-build, 10 times less than the standard warehouse East Allen Township sees. Trucks will be queued internally on the property and pick up produce at one of 10 loading docks.
The team studied nine neighboring intersections to determine possible traffic improvements. Developers are willing to pay for new signals at Route 512 and Locust Road and Route 987 and Locust Road. Developers also said they would replace and widen Locust Road to 12-foot lanes with 5-foot shoulders.
All access to the property will be via Locust. However, residents asked how the developers will ensure truck traffic does not use Arrowhead.
Bowdler said giving drivers Locust as a “really good road” should persuade them to “choose the path of least resistance.”
The property will also feature a rainwater reuse basin to decrease dependence on a municipal water supply. Water services will be provided by the City of Bethlehem and sewer by the Bath Borough Authority.
A 7-foot berm will block the property from Locust Road. Supervisor Roger Unangst asked whether this berm could be made taller; however, Long explained that the site would sit below the road.
Bowdler anticipates the full buildout taking eight years, depending on ROI. Each of the four warehouses will take 14 to 16 months to construct.
Bowdler said BrightFarms is working with neighbors to address concerns, especially flooding in the area.
Resident Garry Hunsicker said BrightFarms is the first developer to speak with him about their plans. Meanwhile, resident Sharon Fournier said she “isn’t excited” about the development, but it is “better than a warehouse.”
Supervisors are expected to deliver their decision to grant conditional use during their meeting on Thursday, Dec. 12.
