SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – The township zoning hearing board heard testimony Wednesday that will help determine whether it allows truck storage on a 28,495-square-foot parking lot near Tilghman Street and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Tilghman Holdings LLC, which owns the property at 4750 Tilghman St., previously received a favorable recommendation from the township planning commission to add 21,000 square feet of new retail space and a walk-up ATM at the site, which currently houses a Just Furniture store and an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
In order to use a triangular parking lot beside the building to store trucks and trailers, the company first needed special exception permission from South Whitehall’s zoning hearing board.
The lot will be largely concealed from Tilghman street, according to the company’s zoning hearing application, and abuts a 200-foot stretch of the turnpike's Northeast Extension. It is surrounded by a 6-foot fence; township rules would ordinarily require an 8-foot fence.
Tilghman Holdings has agreements in place with two local businesses looking for storage space.
Representatives for the landowner told the zoning hearing board that they expect vehicles to be moved a few times per day at most, and always during work hours.
Tilghman Holdings, LLC
Transedge, a Mack Truck dealer, needs a place to put trucks it has received from the factory but have not yet readied for a customer. Messer Gas is looking to store gas transport trailers it is not using.
Representatives for the landowner told the zoning hearing board that they expect vehicles to be moved a few times per day at most, and always during work hours.
With a section of parking to be used for storage, the development will be 57 parking spaces short of what zoning rules require. Tilghman Holdings will also need the zoning hearing board’s permission to keep the existing 6-foot fence.
Additionally, the board will decide whether the landowner will need to replace exterior lighting that is not certified to comply with the township’s dark skies ordinance, meant to reduce light pollution.
With testimony now complete, the board will render a decision at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5, ahead of its regularly scheduled meeting.