SW Lehigh Co. Comprehensive Plan Members Meet Tonight but Lower Mac Elected Officials Will be Absent

Upper Milford is hosting a meeting tonight to discuss concerns about the Southwestern Lehigh County Comprehensive plan. Officials from most of the 5 municipalities that are part of the plan are attending: Alburtis, Emmaus, Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Macungie and Upper Milford.

When: 7 p.m. March 27
Where: Upper Milford Township Building
5671 Chestnut St. 

I'm very disappointed elected Lower Macungie officials will not be attending. Especially the incumbents seeking re-election. All 5 elected Commissioners indicated they had other obligations at last Thursday's BOC meeting. In essence this meeting is happening because of mass zoning changes enacted by Lower Macungie that are contrary to the plan. Incumbents seeking re-election should have to defend zoning decisions they've made over the last 3 years.

The comprehensive plan was adopted and developed by all 5 East Penn municipalities to establish policies for development and open space/farmland preservation in southwestern Lehigh County. In essence it was a smart growth roadmap for the entire region. The plan is not a regulation, but is voluntary. It's meant to provide policy direction for municipalities.

To give two examples of why I feel this kind of cooperation is important:

1. School District: Taxpayers throughout the entire school district must pay for growth. Emmaus, Macungie and Alburtis will never see significant growth since they are largely landlocked. Upper and Lower Milford fight to manage their growth in a responsible fashion. So when new schools are built because of Lower Macungie, is it fair for all taxpayers to shoulder that burden?

2. Taxpayer subsidies of growth. The proposal for a 25-30 million dollar I-78 interchange has recently made the news. The need for this is a direct result of growth in Lower Macungie. But who pays for the price? Where is the 25-30 million coming from? Most understand we simply do not have this money. If we cannot build this new interchange, our area will eventually experience gridlock.

I believe in regional cooperation. Nothing in this plan is binding but it does represent a roadmap that all the municipalities should have respected. Otherwise the consequences are felt by all. This is being a good neighbor. Lower Macungie deviated from the plan significantly and should defend it's reasoning why.