2021 Charettes: April 8, 9 and 14 - Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
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Catasauqua Borough East Allen Township Hanover Township
North Catasauqua Borough Northampton Borough
2021 Charettes: April 8, 9 and 14
Outreach Program
The River Central Steering Committee developed a diverse list of community experts and stakeholders who
were invited to attend a series of three charettes. Each followed the same agenda and interactive format, and
covered the same materials through moderated discussion. The virtual charettes, lasting about 90 minutes
each, were structured to allow for participation by electronic device and phone.
After a general review of the River Central area and the five municipalities that make up the community, cha-
rette attendees were split into breakout sessions to allow for facilitated discussions. Participants discussed
positive and negative aspects for these five subject matters:
• Natural, Agricultural and Historic Resources
• Land Use and Future Development
• Housing
• Transportation
• Community Facilities and Utilities
Discussion among attendees was recorded by LVPC breakout session facilitators. The strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats (SWOT) planning approach was utilized to ensure ideas, priorities and concerns
were voiced for all subject matters. Facilitators then guided the groups through a process to identify three
priority ideas, whether positive or negative, that best reflected considerations critical to a prosperous future.
Priorities of each breakout session were reviewed among all attendees of the relevant charette meeting.
Ultimately, these lists of ideas were combined to inform the outline that will soon shape the guiding principles
– Charette Priority Outcomes. All input providing during the charettes is reflected in the Charette Notes and
Comments.
Summary
Over the course of three days, a total of eight
breakout sessions were held. The sessions – one Participation by Date
15 13 12
in the morning, one midday and one in the evening
– collected priorities, input and concerns from 40
attendees. Participants represented each of the
five River Central municipalities, several regional April 8 April 9 April 14
agencies, PennDOT, businesses and residents.L E H I G H V A L L E Y, P E N N S Y L V A N I A
Charette Priority Outcomes
Catasauqua Borough East Allen Township Hanover Township
April 8, 9, 14, 2021
North Catasauqua Borough Northampton Borough
Natural, Community
Agricultural Land Use and Housing Transportation Facilities and
and Historic Development Utilities
Resources
Holistic approach to land use Transportation – Traffic Plan for investment in
Better development, High and increasing lan
d
management, transportation congestion mitigation; community facilities and
use and marketing of costs, driven up by
planning and coordination thankful for what we have,
parks and recreational warehouses, reduce
infrastructure
with airport on land use, and but need to identify troubled
facilities, and affordable housing
plans for the benefit of all areas and ease up on them
tremendous historical opportunities
five communities
sites and resources
Development pressure into
Preservation of A multi-municipal or rural areas – Emergency
ral –
community. Provide multi-stakeholder coordinated Transportation in gene service funding/service crisis
e state;
more programming in approach to land use planning 4th largest airport in th
nning,
parks. will ensure the communities’ overall transportation pla
r rail
quality of life by balancing possibility of passenge
housing needs with the
increase in logistics and goods
movement
Parks, bike paths,
historic structures – es /
Emergency servic
Improving signage, rtunity +
State Route 329 – Traffic flow infrastructure oppo
preserving historic Airport to municipalities ipal
needs to be improved – It is funding for munic
buildings, making area and vice versa – Don’t cture
causing spillover traffic into ou
r roadway infrastru
more attractive to let one entity impact the neighborhoods
tourism other
River Central is an
Route 329 – Will be a resource
attractive place to live. Warehouse threat – Increasing populatio
for pedestrian connections when n–
People are being priced Internal and external Need for improvem
bridge incorporates bike/pedestri- ents to
out of other areas, so (neighbor) pressure emergency services
an & improve pedestrian crossing , other
there’s an opportunity to services and utilitie
to trailhead for safety s for
strengthen the urban everyone
cores of River Central
Communities built out, so
accommodating more
development is difficult Challenges faced from
Potential for using the trucking-related development, Economic development for main
canal for stormwater when also preserving open streets & trails (D&L, Nor-Bath)
space and agricultural especially on secondary roads
management (natural &
historic) – ensuring it is opportunities
done properly to
preserve historic aspects
Municipal updates to LANTA assistance with travel
Historic resources us
zoning ordinance and struggles of shift work ing
trails for healthy activ
e
Tri-Boro Sportsmen subdivision and land transportation,
Club – Community & development ordinance environmental educ
ation,
education resource and trail-friendly busin
esses
Truck traffic – Pressure fro
m
neighbors
Education – Need for people to
be driven towards careers –
Especially for those jobs that
Road condition and management need to be filled in the Lehigh
– Growth pressures and Valley, and not just left to con-
development bringing in traffic tinue education or immediately
face life without focus to meet
needs for community’s future
Complete trail network and
create
pedestrian/transit safety an
d
access – Create the connec
tions to
neighbors and job centers
Moving people around,
connecting RC to other
places – Downtown
AllentownL E H I G H V A L L E Y, P E N N S Y L V A N I A
Catasauqua Borough East Allen Township Hanover Township
North Catasauqua Borough Northampton Borough
CHARETTE NOTES
AND COMMENTS
April 8, 9, 14, 2021Natural, Agricultural
and Historic Resources
Strengths/Opportunities
Grants/Funding Trails
• Money to be had in grants, but you have to • Walking trail
know where to look for it • Maps along the D&L. Benches and other
○ A lot of money in grant furniture. Used to have historical tidbits along
• Support adding sites for grant applications the trail in the Catty section. Were not
within communities, for seeking funding replaced over time due to damage/funding.
• Roth Academy, walking trail
Lehigh River
• North Catasauqua – extension of the D&L
• Lehigh River Trail along the boroughs – extend trail network
• Kayaking, fishing through the new development (Willow Brook)
into Allen and East Allen townships
• Lehigh River no places
• River and D&L making connections to
• Lehigh River – Make it more appealing for neighbors – North Catasauqua
people. Not a lot of good places to get in
and out for tubing and kayaking. Not enough • Continue trail connections over into East Allen
advertising. and Allen townships
• Iron history of river • Improve Trailhead to reflect historic nature of
quarry
• Tie river into historic resources. ‘You can get
off the river here to see XYZ’ Food bank
Water Systems and Stormwater • People Standing Up (Northampton) – Do
things to improve stuff. Put in a huge garden
• Monocacy Creek Watershed for the food bank in Northampton Borough.
• Monocacy Creek Need to put in signage along the trail to adver-
○ Capitalize on assets tise what is around
• Creek Agriculture
• Watershed • Farmland – Best in the area
• Northampton Borough – Hokendauqua Creek • Farmland in East Allen
& Dry Run Tributary, looking at impairments
and improving stream health & river • Agriculture is an important resource as a
resource for our Northampton Borough
• Potential for using canal for stormwater – Farmers Market. Last year we constructed a
PennPraxis has done some work – community garden to help supply our Food
Multi-Municipal effort and benefit, enhanced Bank. Our food bank serves the region
recreation, views
• Farmland is a strength – tourism, breweries,
• Canal/River natural and historic resource – organic farming and restaurants
both strength and weakness – fill the gaps
• Northampton farmers market
• Best management practices for stormwater,
preventing pollutants • Hanover Township – Considering starting
farmers market?
• Traction from outside region for farmers
markets, agricultural resourcesHistoric • Signage for history of area on paths – maybe
existed previously
• Local history. Industrial history – Wolf
Academy Historic Site (East Allen Township) • Northampton – Old train station, before bridge
going into Cementon on Route 329
• Local history
• ‘Main Streets’ (thoroughfares) within the
• Historical – Walking Purchase. Defined how
municipalities are important, for residents and
much land could walk in a day determined how
visitors, to keep flavor of the community. Com-
much you could purchase. Stone/plaque along
ponents that make the community what it was
creek
when it was first constructed AND how people
• George Taylor House see it today
• George Taylor House – historic building • Cement silos (Northampton Borough)
• Roxy Theatre
Miscellaneous
• Roxy Theatre – A borough asset, tourist
attraction • Older boroughs – Density – Key to help East
Allen keep open space
• Wealth of historic based organizations
• Tri-Boro Sportsmen’s club – Northampton
• Historic societies – Keeping them funded and Borough, serves as excellent educational
moving resource for children to learn about fishing and
• Historic rail route, atlas museum – the environment
Northampton Borough – historic industries • Parks – How to develop more walking/bike
• Atlas museum paths, river access for kayak/canoe, tubing +
parking
• Railroad
• Airport
• Catasauqua – Iron Works – Preserve and
reflect history • How much we walk
• We have tremendous historic resources from • Restaurant advertisement
Cole Siegfried Tavern and Cemetery, as well • We have a lot of shared recreation like library,
as resources that the Northampton Atlas pools, etc.
Museum – Ed Pany will tell this story next
Wednesday
Weaknesses/Threats
Development Miscellaneous
• Warehouses #1 weakness – Empty but • COVID
continuing to grow • Airport – Take up space and limit growth – Tax
• Warehouse development is a threat free space
• Truck traffic ○ Airport – Land north of Race Street,
airport use only (runway)
• Development
• Concern over where to build new residential in
Agriculture already built out areas – Hanover Township
• Once farmland is developed, we can’t get it • If left as-is, canal is unsightly, mosquito
back breeding ground
• Farmland experiencing more development • If not planned properly, canal could be threat-
pressure than natural resources. What is left to ened – Stormwater entering/leaving canal for
develop? Avoid historical disturbance preserving
• Warehouses are a threat to agriculture • Loss of knowledge
• Agriculture preservation threatened by • Flooding, natural threats
development • Apathy
• Subsidizing big farmers – Little farmers die out
○ Kids not interested in continuing to farm 3Land Use and Development
Strengths/Opportunities
Local Business Development • Opportunity for assisting more businesses with
vs Warehouses trail-friendly certification – Opportunities to
inform and support them
• Warehouses also create jobs
• Warehousing and distribution have expanded Stormwater and Sewer
tremendously everywhere. We would much • Using/exploring use of canal for stormwater.
rather see local, small business filling spaces Catasauqua Borough has previously looked
rather than larger warehouse. Residents are into that
invested and take pride, improving the whole
community. • East Allen has had a lot of recent development
– Stormwater and sewer facilities are seeing a
• Warehousing and distribution have expanded lot of pressure – Ensuring funding is available
much rather see local business in the to municipalities to upgrade system
community, residents vested in the community
• North Catasauqua Borough is built out and
• Make it easier for small businesses to open. needs to expand stormwater and sewer
Eliminate or ease parking requirements in
certain districts. People will find a place if they Developments
want to.
• We have a new townhouse development
• Would like to see – opportunities for small behind the CVS Pharmacy and Redner’s
businesses and main street development Quick Shoppe. We are less to accommodate
• Land uses that are good for developer and this new development adjacent to our Uptown
community – good goal Park
• Iron Works project as an example of strength
Redevelopment and opportunity
• Opportunity for redevelopment of older vacant • Iron Works – developing heritage, connections
buildings
• Hanover Township – Airport Shopping Center
• Utilizing existing structures, repurposing, helps
contribute to authenticity of area – Tourism • Strong commercial and retail in Hanover –
attraction, economic investment Airport Shopping Center
• Reuse and preservation of historic buildings, • Willow Brook development
including historic warehouses, rather than
build new Coordination
• Better – Doing this joint committee.
Natural and Agricultural Understanding development affects neighbors
• Preserve the areas we have that are available • Come to conclusions as a WHOLE not what’s
to protect them for green space and people to best for a specific municipality.
get away from the urban nature of things
• Coordinating multi-stakeholder oriented land
• Prefer land used for parks, recreation, walking use planning, including the airport to
and bike trails appropriate degree. Balance housing needs,
• Lehigh County and Northampton County have logistics and goods movement, do not let one
strong agricultural preservation programs entity impact the other. (airport to
municipalities and vice versa)
• Ensuring new land development and new
businesses have links to trails for employees• Impacts of development of quality of life and • Consolidate land uses where they are
need to balance needs of all interested effective. Making it difficult for some people
parties. (example – noise on business vs like transportation, Catasauqua people getting
noise on residential) affected with transportation
• North Catasauqua – Low density – Small town
Miscellaneous feeling
• We have a nice Main Street District with the • North Catasauqua – Not much land left
Roxy Theatre as a focal point. With COVID the
Roxy Theatre has been hurt somewhat, but • Safety in public areas (parks)
the Roxy is moving into live performances. We • Need a central location for veterans – There’s
are also happy with a relatively new Uptown no more VFA Veterans for America, they have
Park developed during the last 5 years or so no place to go, need a place for veterans to
(Northampton Borough). get together
• We need to consolidate land uses where most • Connection to the airport is important
effective and accessible to people using them.
Right now, being spread out making it difficult • Community is generally ‘neutral’ to
for transportation and people. Need effective development, save those proposals may have
areas controversial issues
Weaknesses/Threats
Warehouses and Industrial • Developments around Airport Road impact
travel
• Warehouses replacing blue collar jobs (mom +
pop businesses) • Stress in Catasauqua from outside
development that makes it difficult to get to/
• Warehousing coming in – Hanover Township –
from/through Catasauqua. Out of our control
Balancing that in the region
• Warehouses cause transportation issues Land Availability
• Development patterns (warehouses) not • Built out
conducive to transit service
• Running out of land area
• Industrial land use – How much quantity
needs to be provided for and where? Businesses
• Infrastructure problems – Warehouses not • Main Street in Northampton. Front Street in
located in ideal locations, near residences and Catasauqua. – Could be quaint areas with
schools – Causes problems for school busses outside dining. How do we make the
• Infrastructure can’t keep up with development downtowns more attractive to small
patterns businesses? Try to incentivize renting first floor
storefront. Encourage landlords to reconsider
• Neighboring townships warehouse develop-
ment, traffic, loss of farmland • Working with zoning map – Improve to allow
for home business and mixed use
Transportation • North Catasauqua – Not many businesses
• Transportation – Higher amount of zero • Pandemic toll on local businesses
vehicle households, tractor-trailer on roads not
• Cost of land increasing costs for housing and
designed for it
businesses to locate/stay in the area – People
• Roads handle the volume of traffic cannot afford land as area grows
• Sidewalk connectivity is important for transit • Pandemic Impact – Loss of businesses
• Transit – Serving dense residential versus • Not enough workers to fill jobs
serving warehousing/jobs, growth pressures
outside of urban cores/downtown boroughs
are stretching the transit system thin with jobs
centers located elsewhere; limited funding –
Funding dependent on ridership
5Land Use and Development
Weaknesses/Threats
Miscellaneous • We have several successful industrial areas
from the Horwith Complex, and Held Drive
• Connection with airport in Catasauqua and
industrial park. Currently our borough is
their plans for the future. 25-year plan includes
preparing a specific plan for the Held Drive
concerning items potentially
and Cherry Square Shopping Center
• Once it’s gone it’s not coming back (green
• Multi-use; transition from entirely residential or
space)
business areas to mixes of uses; confusing for
• Need to preserve the green space, once it is people to know what should happen where
gone it is not coming back
• Dated zoning ordinances
• Budget for park management – Municipal
• Expansion of commercial and light industrial in
budget to maintain resources
North Catasauqua – Look at tax revenue
• Size of lots – Density and space restrictions;
• Proposed developments warrant
stop developers from squeezing too many
multi-stakeholder input. How do we implement
homes in too small an area, that put pressure
this plan in a way that gets more involved in
on infrastructure and services
review process?
• Development eliminating parking
requirements.Housing
Strengths/Opportunities
Senior Housing • Ensuring ways to connect new housing
developments to parks & trails, increases
• Northampton Borough older population may
home values
be because people stay here their entire life.
Same for East Allen. Only leave if they are • Fee-in-lieu programs in communities, to
forced because of taxes, maintenance, or ensure trails are included so funding can go to
illness. support trail and sidewalk infrastructure
• Lack of affordable senior housing –
Miscellaneous
Northampton Borough, but maybe also other
areas – Potential for ordinances to be revised • Younger people are more transient
to add accessory dwellings to create more • Catasauqua Borough has more than its share
housing opportunities of affordable housing
• Large aging population that needs to be • The area has diverse types of housing –
accommodated Everything is covered in some way
• Senior housing on Route 512 is not gated but • Hanover Township – housing is diverse
it is luxury, age-restricted. Under construction.
Opportunity for people who want to move on • Northampton Borough offers the most dynamic
from maintenance of home and be close to range of available housing. Owner and rental.
friends/family. Keep people here and not force Some view as positive and others view as
them out more negative. Diverse mix of housing
• Route 512 is highly restricted – Luxury age • Mix of old vs new, well-maintained vs not so
restricted opportunity • North Catasauqua Borough – Diverse
• Ensuring there are multi-generational homes; housing, apartments to single family detached
not as many stairs, walkability • Hanover Township – Diverse housing
• Hanover Township – Diversity of housing,
Reuse of Historic Buildings
apartments, trailer parks – Have it all
and Redevelopment
• Use sidewalk inventory to close gaps when
• Historic reuse of buildings and renovation of identifying locations for new development
older homes, getting rid of slumlords, to
maintain property is difficult. Better • Several of our old factories and schools have
maintenance might clean up the area been adapted to serve as very nice apartment
buildings – Nicely done
• Historic districts to restore old homes – There
are two in Catasauqua Borough, + George • Need to look at school districts – Are they at
Taylor grants capacity?
• 1970s/60s housing stock in Hanover • Rear yard cottage homes
Township; overall well-maintained • Landlord ordinance in North Catasauqua
• Only option would be to redevelop, no parcels Borough – response to properties that need to
in North Catasauqua left for residential be maintained – Requires inspection, license
development to allow the rental, revenue neutral
• North Catasauqua Borough – New develop-
Community and Livability ment will help tax base – Willowbrook Road
• Quality of life – Trails, parks, amenities/ • People do not leave the area only because of
entertainment makes area attractive but taxes, illness. They do not intend to leave
increases pressures and costs for housing
• Majority of owners maintain their properties
7Housing
Weaknesses/Threats
Housing Price and Affordability • Age 55+ community being done now (East
Allen Township), but are also very pricey
• Difficult to buy a home – Housing is selling
above asking and paying cash • Takes three years to get into low-income high
rise
• Catasauqua Borough housing stock is older
with limited room for growth. By the time this • Lacking in low-income elderly places
plan is done we will be out of open space. • During the session last night our representa-
Northampton Borough right behind tive stated that her mother has been waiting a
Catasauqua Borough long time to get into a publicly funded project.
• Cost of housing – New development might not Some people in the past have considered rear
be attainable for the people that live in North yard cottage homes – Would that work here?
Catasauqua Borough • Is there a threat of not having enough space
• Potential for housing boom in the area – for new housing, and accommodating growth?
East Allen getting hit hard Or will people have to live in existing spaces?
• Asking price for land is too high ○ Yes there is such a threat – Our
representative last night said that her
• Economy can’t support higher-priced housing mother has been waiting for three years
– Residents do not have the wages to get into one of our many elderly
• Up until COVID, when housing prices skyrock- housing developments
eted, River Central was an affordable area
for people to live – in Northampton Borough, Housing Age and Condition
home prices have significantly increased • Older towns have aging housing stock –
• Housing has become out of reach financially 1840’s, 50’s
for the people in the area; not enough • Older houses
inventory – All kinds of housing
• Older, bigger homes seem harder to maintain
• North Catasauqua Borough tax rate is higher
than other areas of the Lehigh valley – Federal • In boroughs, there is older housing that needs
Housing Administration (FHA) limits for avail- updating/upgrading
ability in that area - $300k – Single homes will • Hanover Township – Allendale Apartments –
be higher than that – Makes attainability hard Are well maintained. 1950s-60s housing might
• Affordable housing is a major concern for all need some upgrading
populations – Everything is getting priced out • Hanover Township – Most people maintain
• High land costs, business owners/developers their homes, a few don’t for various reasons
can’t justify keeping prices low • Young people inherit homes and don’t want to
• Waiting lists for lower-cost housing options keep them or live in them; sell them to land-
lords that don’t keep them well
• Areas with appropriate zoning have high land
costs • Historic use and landlords maintain their hous-
es, if they do that will clean up the area
• Price per square feet for warehouse undercuts
other development types – how to manage Miscellaneous
that?
• Farmland being developed
Senior Housing • Farmland preservation in East Allen
• Difficult market for people that are older and • Not a lot of vacant land for housing (zoning)
disabled, for affordable housing – Long (years)
• Hanover Township – Majority of vacant land is
wait lists
owned by Airport
• We are lacking in low income, elderly housing.
• State police coverage/no local police
People on waiting lists for years to get
adequate housing.Transportation
Strengths/Opportunities
Biking Sidewalk and Pedestrians
• People need opportunities to bike/hike • Use sidewalk inventory
• Put bike lanes in wherever possible. Think • Evaluate existing sidewalks, ensure they meet
about life safety risks people take when biking Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards
now. Bike lanes could be used for other things • We look forward to the wide pedestrian cross-
where other facilities are limited ing of the Lehigh River. We were told that the
• Serves more purpose than a bike lane, and trail connection will also be improved to the
making them interconnected north side of 21st Street giving our CVS
Pharmacy and Redner’s Warehouse Market
• More bike lanes
an opportunity to serve the walking biking
• Connecting trails to bike lanes to other areas public (Northampton Borough)
(downtown Allentown)
• Forcing sidewalks with projects and it is a
• Bikes can go on busses – Should be promoted shame that development happens that way
to connect bus riders to trails
• Pedestrian access – Developing ped connec-
• Hook trails up to warehouses so people can tions between developments, even if there is
bike and not drive not a road connection, can encourage use
• School walkers. Easy for children to get to and
Trails
from school if they had to walk
• Trails should be hooked up to parks and
• Opportunity for active-transportation
residential developments; improve regional
commuting to work – A lot of jobs in the area
network
• Connect trails to parks to add new residents. Airport
○ Connecting trails whenever available. • 4th largest airport in the state
Make connections so people can use
them better. • Airport – Strength, moves people, asset to the
entire Lehigh Valley
○ Northampton Borough – Very walkable
with large variety of trails and opportuni- • Airport – Goods and people
ties along trail and connected to trail. • Airport is doing best they can, people should
• Strength – D&L Trail! And other Link trails – be encouraged to fly local and contribute to
Nor-Bath Trail, plans for more trails connecting lower costs – advantages, such as shorter
from park-park, borough-borough wait through security check
• Build up infrastructure for trailhead at D&L • Airport is a strength
Trail
Boat Access
• Future opportunity when bridge project pro-
vides safer route – Cementon Trailhead • We have been told that boating access to the
Lehigh River is limited and could be improved
• More trail use decreases traffic congestion
• North Catasauqua looking at boat access, and
• Expand network of trails through new devel-
PennPraxis
opment. Tie the 0-vehicle homes on the west
side of community to the warehousing jobs to • Wildlands Conservancy is great partner at
the east identifying those key locations for boating
access
• Access to D&L Trail, Nor-Bath Trail, access to
recreation and non-vehicular traffic
9Transportation
Strengths/Opportunities
LANTA ○ Extend Walnut Street out of Catasauqua
Borough to Willowbrook Road. Would be
• Evaluate stops constantly, whether to add or
a big project but would provide a third
move
‘major’ way out of Catasauqua Borough
○ I am very pleased that LANTA serves
our area – but we could have the bus • Area has a good balance of all transportation
stop at our farmers market (Northampton components, different modes
Borough) • Possibility of passenger rail.
○ Coordination of LANTA bus stops with ○ Passenger rail to New York and Philadel-
municipal governments phia
○ LANTA bus stops, older/not ideal – ○ Possibility of train transportation into
Working on making sure they have New York – Hope
crosswalks, sidewalks, accessibility ○ Get rail, put containers on rail
• Good bus system in area – Many people use it • Tractor-trailer staging (instead of using road-
especially on Main Street way)
• LANTA Bus Route 103 goes up river, historic • High rates of 0-car households – Further iden-
walking area – Struggles with connecting up tify how this informs transportation planning
slopes – LANTA has two bus routes in area –
Infrastructure and road project investment • Passive recreation
could increase bus service too • A lot of residents use, especially seniors and
• Reinstate $1 student pass. Now kids have low income
to get through school but only big districts • Widening/improving infrastructure is not the
provide ‘cure’ – Getting too much development in
certain areas (warehouses), not just trucks,
Miscellaneous employee traffic too – How to balance?
• Better connection on the streets • Attract people
• North/South corridors along river – Historic • Balance between goods movement and local
neighborhoods with sidewalks community
• Well-connected to rest of region because of • Continue to expand multi-modal opportunity
central location, age of infrastructure running with new development. Reduce safety/conges-
through tion issues.
Weaknesses/Threats
Bike Lane • Better pedestrian connection out of Catasau-
qua. Race Street to Whitehall Township there’s
• Need bike lanes
a sidewalk with a bad crossing over Lehigh
• Bike and ped – Not safe on the roads Street and Pine Street bridge with steep cross-
• Bicyclists and pedestrians not safe in Hanover ing. Then sidewalk disappears
Township – Airport Road, Shoenersville Road, • Pedestrian safety – Sidewalk connections to
Race Street, Weaversville Road new development
• Race Street – Lots of businesses and LANTA
Sidewalk and Transit service have combined to create issue in Cas-
• Missing opportunities when not putting side- cade Drive area
walk in with roadway construction
• Transit – Takes too long to get places
• FedEx did a lot of work on sidewalk
• LANTA to add stop and move stops, reinstat-
• Developers fight tooth and nail when it comes ing the $1 student pass is important,
to sidewalks Catasauqua Borough students get shorted
• Lack of sidewalks• Disconnect between the job shifts and the • Semi-trucks parked on streets, needs to be
transit schedule rectified, need a paved parking lot, they are
nuisance to traffic flow and manage
Traffic Congestion • Tractor-trailers parked on urban and side
• At peak times all major arteries are congest- streets. It is a weakness that we need to
ed – Airport Road around retail centers; Race rectify, whether creating a paved parking area
Street; Route 22 – Have warehouses or something else so that they don’t serve as a
staggered hours to help manage the traffic? nuisance to traffic flow. Manage truck traffic to
improve for everyone
• Typically during rush hour Route 329 is very
crowded. For most part reasonable outside of • Increase in tractor-trailers
rush hour • Industrial growth – Roads are not built to
• Route 329 is a real challenge – yesterday the handle the larger tractor trailers
east bound traffic was blocked for 6 blocks in
the afternoon all the way into Allen Township Miscellaneous
• The through traffic is the concern • Parking – Streets built in mid-1800’s
(Catasauqua Borough), really tight
• Congestion – Route 22, Route 329, Airport
Road, Race Street • Off-street parking is a challenge for some
○ Traffic congestion on Race St apartment conversions
○ Race Street Traffic • Road conditions
• Challenge is East-West – Race Street ○ Roads need to be better maintained
• Nor-Bath Trail – Issue with Weaversville • Loss of gas tax – Communities losing money
Road & Airport Road, increasing development to maintain
causing traffic conflicts – How to cross Airport • Airport – Competing with Newark and
Road? Overhead bridges to improve safety Philadelphia to attract business, challenge
• Airport Road keeping airfares lower to keep customers –
Need to make it cost effective to have people
Tractor-Trailers fly locally rather than travel outside the area
• Increase in truck traffic due to warehouses off • Three way, Race Street, 4th Street have a
of Race Street third way out of Catasauqua Borough
• Our truck traffic is congesting our traffic signals • People dying
• Semi-trucks going through towns (even two • Funding – The neighbors that have the facility
trailers hooked together) with the tax revenue do not contribute to the
roads being used, Emergency Medical
• Accommodating trucking with warehouse Services (EMS) support
growth and multi-uses on roadways – How to
balance truck traffic and safety
11Community Facilities and Utilities
Strengths/Opportunities
Parks and Recreation a closing of our two or three neighborhood
schools. In the past the schools, neighborhood
• Parks – Great parks!
grocery stores and parks and fire stations was
○ Parks need to be maintained and safe the glue that held our neighborhood together
○ Northampton Canal Park, Municipal How will we hold together neighborhood in the
Park, North Catasauqua Park future.
○ Hanover Township – Canal Park, • Schools – Upgrades to buildings, keeping in
Sherwood Park – Major asset 21st century
○ Park – Town center, widely used by • Moving part of Northampton Schools out to
community East Allen? Combining schools?
○ Appears to be good variety of parks, ○ Northampton School District has parcel
types & sizes of land in East Allen Township – Looking
• More summer programs for kids at the parks. to build a new administration building
Used to be lots of programs. Bussed from and elementary school?
parks to activities in the past. Keep kids out of ○ Historic artifacts on site halted project
trouble.
• Would like to see more involvement of
• Areas along Lehigh River & Canal, where community colleges and career and technical
there’s room to add park areas (part of institute
PennPraxis study) benches, little amenities
• Opportunity – Northampton Borough Utilities
Recreation Center – heavily used prior to • UGI Utilities is replacing service and
Covid – great classes – safe for kids commitment to safely replace and
• Shared recreational resources maintaining the network. Hopefully current
headache creates a safer future
• Possibility for lighting, restrooms, future needs
for smaller trailheads – charging stations • Basic infrastructure ties together the
communities public water and sewers
Emergency Services • Put public water in with sewer – A lot of people
• Opportunity for sharing/collaborating on have wells, City of Bethlehem has been taking
emergency services if not already done over wells as people retire and can’t
(proximity of three boroughs) maintain – Look into possibility of expanding
public water
• Emergency services are good at sharing
• Northampton Borough is in process of
• Emergency services in immediate area are updating sewer plant
second to none. However, any firemen relief
funding or grants for equipment purchases are • Northampton Borough replacing gas pipes
welcomed. • Cost of service is reason for utilities
• Tom car for emergency service response • Solar electric generation is a real potential as
• North Catasauqua Borough – good police, fire well as central supercharger stations to serve
department and public works our future electric vehicles
Education Miscellaneous
• Schools are good • Encourage career path – Four-year degree or not
• Schools – engage in community • Share resources with neighbors
• The Northampton Area School District is • We should coordinate where we can properly
studying and planning a new school complex host and take advantage of resources
in the adjacent township – this could lead to between our communities• Community wide coordination of develop- ing and investing as needed?
ment. Ensure mutual discussion of community • East Allen has a good program need to work
impacts. (example – capacity of stormwater as a community
system, electric grid, sewer service). Are all
service providers and municipalities coordinat- • New Catasauqua municipal building
Weaknesses/Threats
Aging Infrastructure Emergency Services
• Aging utility infrastructure – Water pipes, • Emergency services – Each community
sewer lines – Dates back 100-150 years responding together to fires – Need to look at
as whole community
• Sewer system is aging
• Northampton fire dept is struggling – Same
• Sewer/stormwater issues – How development
with all – Volunteers are low
is stretching limits of current systems
• Hanover Township – Volunteer fire
• $4-5 million to update, Northampton Borough
department struggling with recruiting and
is in the process of updating their sewer
maintaining volunteers, fund raising is good
system
• Ambulance funding; not sustainable
• Population increase - $3-4 million to fix sewer
systems/plants • Ambulance is struggling financially
• Sewer in Catasauqua Borough is 1953 old and • Ambulance has fundraiser drives to raise mon-
needs to be updated ey, but they lose money on ambulance drives
• Bethlehem water system maintenance • Ambulance & fire need more services / hands
to accommodate growing population
• Lack of public water/sewer in East Allen.
Everything we do with utilities comes from the • Moving towards tax-based emergency medical
City of Bethlehem or Bath Borough or some- services (EMS) – struggling financially,
where else. Lends to lack of development, required to take every patient
limited control
• Catasauqua Borough 1956 – Terracotta clay Miscellaneous
pipes. Sewer plant updates of $4-5 million to • Align economic development with desires of
update. the community and infrastructure in the com-
munity
Community Facilities • Lacking coordination between utility and road
• Catasauqua Borough Pool, would like it open work
• Catasauqua Borough Pool needs close to • Universal comment – Utilities do not do a good
$1 million in renovations. Other needs make job repairing roads
this difficult. If North Catasauqua contributed • Are areas at a tipping point?
to pool it may resolve. Those residents pay a
higher price. Hanover Township does not have • Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System
a pool either (MS4) project – Putting money toward
unfunded requirement. Areas CONSIDERING
• We have a shared pool, need to do close to $1 stormwater fees to accommodate.
million. North Catasauqua Borough does not
contribute anything, even Hanover Township • Funding for trail maintenance
does not have a pool, not sure. Also no library • Geese are a threat to healthy trail
in the area maintenance
• Catasauqua Borough Pool can be improved, • Workforce development – Would like to see
maintenance is tough – How to keep that more integrated into the school curriculum,
infrastructure? encourage career direction at the high school
• Our churches are so important to our culture, level
but many parishes are struggling with • Companies bussing employees to work vs
membership and finances ridership desires
• More summer programs when they are out of • Student loan debt of future generation
school
• Library is struggling with 100-year anniversary
coming up. North Catasauqua Borough and 13
Hanover Township both contribute but could all
do more. Don’t want to lose it.You can also read
