The Tilden Township Zoning Hearing Board and about 40 residents got a look Thursday night at plans for a proposed 481,000-foot warehouse and distribution center.
The 32.7-acre property at 462 Lowland Road is owned by Steve C. and Sylvia DeCosta, who plan to sell it to the developer, Lovett Industrial of Texas.
Lovett needs a building coverage variance because the footprint exceeds the township maximum of 25% of the property size.
Then the developer also plans on having 100,000 feet of building for “speed bays,” which will increase the coverage to 34%.
Speed bays are indoor loading and unloading areas to move materials from trucks to racking systems.
The developers also need a variance for height, with an indoor ceiling height at 40 feet with a total building height of 49 feet. The township only allows 35 total feet.
Testimony on Thursday lasted more than three hours.
The board heard from a representative of the developer, an engineer, a real estate leasing agent and traffic engineer.
Two attorneys for some residents of Lowland Road questioned them as well, asking why the project couldn’t be scaled down.
Lovett officials indicated that they only develop Class A facilities to attract big box retailers like Amazon, Big Lots, Lowe’s and Dollar General who all carry consumer-grade products and require such facilities.
Plans include aesthetically pleasing facilities, with architectural facades that are landscaped to prevent interfering with neighbors and indoor bays to lessen impacts, the Lovett people said.
Traffic Engineer Annmarie Vigilante of Langen Engineering said the developers would make road improvements realigning the intersection of Route 61 and Lowland Road to restrict turns.
Vigilante said preliminary calculations show minimal trips at one truck every 4 to 6 minutes during peak hours, and also said it was not obligatory for the developer to make road improvements.
Development officials noted it was very early on in a long process with many hurdles yet to cross with state and local approvals needed, including working closely with PennDOT.
Testimony was halted at 10:30 p.m. and the hearing will be continued on Thursday December 9 at 7 p.m.
Source: Berkshire mont
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