Lower Nazareth advances zoning amendment

A proposed zoning amendment in Lower Nazareth Township could lead to eventual manufacturing uses.

Township supervisors voted 4-0 Wednesday to direct township solicitor Gary Asteak to prepare an ordinance that would change a portion of 23 acres between Hanoverville Road and Route 191/Nazareth Pike from office park to light industrial.

The draft language will go to the township Planning Commission and then the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for comments before coming back to the board for final approval.

The switch, Asteak said, would allow owner WindDrift Development to develop the land for “small-scale” manufacturing uses.

David Ronca of Wind-Drift said the company does not plan on using the land for warehousing.

“We don’t anticipate anything bigger than 40,000 square feet,” he said.

Township Supervisor Robert Hoyer abstained from the vote, citing prior business dealings with Wind-Drift.

In other business, supervisors voted 5-0 to pass an ordinance amendment expanding parking restrictions in two areas of the township where overnight tractortrailer parking has become a problem.

Parking bans will go into effect on Hecktown Road from Country Club Road to the township line boundary, and on Route 248 from Corriere Road to the township line.

“We’ve had some issues with large tractor-trailers parking where they shouldn’t be,” Chairman James Pennington said.

The ban will increase the fines from $15 to $50 per infraction, Asteak said.