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Jul 10, 2023

Americold warehouse in Upper Macungie wants to expand

Despite neighbors’ concerns about noise pollution and traffic, a Lehigh County warehouse should be allowed to more than double in size, a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission committee said Tuesday. The

Despite neighbors’ concerns about noise pollution and traffic, a Lehigh County warehouse should be allowed to more than double in size, a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission committee said Tuesday.

The committee unanimously recommended approval for a 332,000-square-foot expansion to the roughly 268,500-square-foot Americold storage facility at 7150 Ambassador Drive in Upper Macungie Township.

This expansion project is unrelated to a 2019 effort to expand the warehouse, when Americold wanted to increase its height to up to 135 feet.

Upper Macungie supervisors went to court then to appeal the zoning board’s approval of the increased height, and denied Americold’s proposed zoning amendment to allow the height expansion. LVPC Managing Editor Matt Assad said Americold hasn’t filed since then for a height increase for the warehouse with the LVPC.

Speaking during the Comprehensive Planning Committee hearing, LVPC Chief Community and Regional Planner Steve Neratko said the expansion would create over 450 passenger vehicle trips and nearly 250 commercial vehicle trips per day.

When Lehigh County Commissioner Bob Elbich pointed out Americold recently said the project would only generate 63 commercial vehicle trips per day, Neratko said the site could potentially generate additional or fewer vehicles than the LVPC’s estimate.

“That’s quite a difference,” Elbich said.

When questioned by an Upper Macungie resident, Neratko said he did not know how many trips per day the warehouse generates now. He said he would try to get those numbers from Americold.

Neratko recommended the developers provide bicycle racks and charging stations for electric vehicles at the facility to encourage alternative means of transportation and improve air quality. Neratko also recommended the developer and Upper Macungie collaborate with PennDOT to improve the nearby intersection of Mill Road and Tilghman Street.

LANTA provides transportation directly to the project site with three southbound bus stops along the property frontage of Mill Road, between the Ambassador Drive intersections to the north and south. LANTA Land Use and Transportation Planner Molly Wood recommended a pedestrian path from the proposed Mill Road sidewalk and existing bus stop locations to the main entrance of the facility for safety.

Upper Macungie resident Julie Hoffman pointed out to the committee members the presence of housing developments behind the facility. Hoffman asked the LVPC to consider potential impacts of noise and traffic, especially considering how “difficult” it is to turn from Mill Road onto Tilghman Street.

She also expressed concerns about the possibility of materials leaking from the facility, which handles commercial storage and shipment of temperature-controlled goods for local food vendors and regional grocers, along with domestic and international food and beverage producers.

The warehouse expansion will go before the LVPC again during its full commission meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at 961 Marcon Blvd., Allentown.

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