Lower Saucon Township Planning Commission members listened to a presentation Thursday night by executives with Woodmont Properties—a 50-year-old New Jersey company that is proposing construction of a 204-unit luxury apartment complex on a parcel of land south of Friedensville Road–and expressed several concerns about aspects of the plan.
Planner Scott Kennedy said he is “just not comfortable adding more density” in an area that would need to be rezoned to accommodate the proposal. Additionally, a text change to the township’s urban residential zoning district requirements would be needed to allow for the construction of 11 units per acre, instead of the current 7.
Commission member John Noble said he liked the proposal but would prefer to see the entire “triangle” of land between Friedensville, Meadows and Skibo roads–an area within which the complex would be built–examined and potentially rezoned, as part of a more holistic approach to planning in that part of the township.
Noble went so far as to suggest that single-family homes located along Friedensville Road “should probably be rezoned” to the urban residential classification.
“Why would you want to do that?” asked Kennedy, noting that traffic is already problematic in that area. “I’d rather see these as single-family homes,” he said.
In a presentation to township council members earlier this month, Woodmont representatives said they aren’t interested in building single-family homes in Lower Saucon, because that’s not something their company does.
Woodmont executive vice president Stephen Santola and chief investment officer David Trager told planners the high-end apartment complex built around a “green” will likely attract primarily upper income, young, single professionals and couples, as well as empty-nesters and “snowbirds” looking for maintenance-free living.
It would be similar to complexes Woodmont constructed and now manages in Bethlehem (Woodmont Mews) and Palmer Township (Woodmont Place at Palmer), which they stressed have relatively few school-age children living in them.
At Woodmont Mews, “we see about one child for every 17 or 18 units,” Santola said.
Planner Craig Kologie questioned that ratio, and why it is lower than the national average for high-end apartment communities.
In response, Santola said that because Woodmont doesn’t offer any three-bedroom homes in its communities it attracts fewer families.
He also cited marketing that doesn’t explicity appeal to families as part of the formula the company uses to attract childless tenants.
“Our ad pictures don’t show families and kids splashing in the pool,” he commented.
Families are welcome at Woodmont, Santola stressed. Not allowing them to live there would be a violation of the Fair Housing Act.
Kologie noted that the average cost of educating a child in the Saucon Valley School District last year was just under $17,000, which is why “it doesn’t take much” to negatively offset the tax revenue generated by a development such as what Woodmont’s proposing to result in a net deficit for township taxpayers.
Another concern expressed by planner Tom Maxfield was about the volume of traffic that could be generated by a proposed two-way entrance to the complex on Meadows Road.
Santola said they planned to make it a two-way entrance to help facilitate emergency access, but noted that in case of an emergency, “all bets are off” and a one-way road could be used as a two-way.
Cindy Hart, who said she lives on a cul-de-sac just north of where the proposed entry road would be built, was critical of the proposal.
“I cannot see how there would be a double lane there” unless some of her property was taken to build the road, in which case the road itself would be dangerously close to her house, she told the planning commission.
“I’m totally against having more buildings put in there,” Hart added.
Planners made no decisions about the proposal Thursday, but generally agreed that the entire “triangle” area should be looked at from a long-term planning perspective, rather than “piecemeal.”
“I’m not sure (the apartment complex) is what we need, but I think we need a plan for the whole piece,” chairman John Landis said.
The commission also agreed to possibly reach out to a family that owns property in the area of where the Woodmont complex would be built, to discuss its concerns with them.
Some additional details about the Woodmont apartment complex proposal:
- The apartment complex would include both one and two-story units in two and three-story buildings. Two-story carriage homes would be constructed in the central part of the complex, while two, three-story buildings are proposed along the main entry road, off of Friedensville.
- The proposed height of the three-story buildings is 35 feet to their eaves, with pitched roofs extending higher–and above the township’s maximum height limit of 37 feet. Exceeding the height limit would require a variance.
- More than half of the units would have built-in garages. Other standard amenities would be granite countertops, walk-in closets and stall showers. A clubhouse would house a sports bar with three TVs, and the grassy common area would have grills and serve as a gathering space for residents, according to Santola. First-floor units would have patios, and upper-floor units would have terraces accessed by sliding glass doors.
An artist’s rendering of an apartment complex proposed for construction by Woodmont Properties along Friedensville Road in Lower Saucon Township. The rendering was first discussed at township council’s Feb. 4, 2015 meeting. On Feb. 26, township planners heard details about the proposal.
