Carson Companies has cleared a key hurdle in its quest to build a 217,000-square-foot warehouse in Hilltown, but before the firm can put shovels in the ground it must earn land development approval from the township board of supervisors — a potentially lengthy process in which residents will be able to comment and ask questions.
Before the company could seek land development approval, however, it first had to get a zoning-related nod to move forward called “conditional use approval.”
At a public meeting on June 26, Hilltown supervisors granted that conditional use approval to Carson Companies, a warehouse developer that has more than 20 million square feet of warehouse space spread across locations in eastern Pennsylvania, Southern California and the Houston, Texas, area.
A “conditional use” means the proposed development — in this case a warehouse — is permitted under current zoning as long as the applicant can meet the criteria contained in the local ordinance for that particular use and that the use doesn’t do things like create a dangerous impact on the community, officials said.
Carson Companies wants to build the warehouse on a 19.2-acre site on Bethlehem Pike near Reliance Road – a property that lies in an industrial zoning district where the use is allowed “by right,” officials said.
Supervisors granted the approval with a number of conditions that sought to address concerns residents had raised at two previous hearings on the project. Regarding potential disruptive noise, for instance, the warehouse would have to be built with 10-inch thick concrete walls and no loud speakers would be allowed outside.
The warehouse can’t be used for “high throughput traffic” — a condition aimed at ensuring it doesn’t become, for example, a shipping and distribution center for a large fulfillment operation.
Other conditions: External lighting, other than emergency lighting, would have to be shut off between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and a property manager must visit the site twice a month and report any issues to the township.
If a complaint by a resident against the facility is lodged with the township, the property manager must visit the site immediately and investigate. Among other things, topsoil can’t be removed from the property and the site can be served by two driveways only.
Still, officials emphasized, the project is not a done deal yet.
Carson Companies must go through the land development approval process with supervisors. During public hearings on land development, which residents will be able to attend, the company will be expected to present detailed, fully engineered plans that address things like traffic flow, stormwater management, and much more. It was unclear when the first hearing would be.
“Land development can take six months to a year or more,” said Supervisor Caleb Torrice. “If residents have something to say, or they didn’t get answers to questions they had during the conditional use approval, they will be able to dig into those during the land development process.”
The project has had some locals worried, especially nearby residential neighbors. They’re concerned the warehouse will lead to a surge in dangerous truck traffic, intrusive lighting, noise disruption, and stormwater runoff that worsens flooding on other properties.
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