Rezoning Area Near Landfill to Be Discussed Thursday

A copy of an agenda for Thursday's Lower Saucon Township Planning Commission meeting was released Monday, and the only business item listed on it is a review of a draft zoning map and amended ordinance for the Applebutter Road area.

The map calls for rezoning some of the land near IESI Bethlehem Landfill from light manufacturing and rural agricultural to light industrial.

Other land along Applebutter Road further to the west would be reclassified as rural agricultural (from light manufacturing).

The text of the draft ordinance states that landfills and waste disposal facilities would be added to a "list of uses requiring conditional use approval in the LI zoning district." However, those facilities would be removed from a list of uses requiring "special exception approval."

A copy of a draft ordinance that outlines the proposal, along with the map, is posted on the township website.

Part of the draft ordinance states that "the Council of Lower Saucon Township has determined that the adoption of this Ordinance containing the described amendments to the Zoning Map...is in the best interest of the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Lower Saucon Township."

The planning commission meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Lower Saucon Town Hall.

On Wednesday, Lower Saucon Township Council is scheduled to discuss procedures for a planned Sept. 25 public hearing at Saucon Valley School District about the potential rezoning.

IESI Bethlehem Landfill last year requested that the township consider rezoning land IESI owns adjacent to its Applebutter Road facility, to accommodate a proposed expansion that would extend the 72-year-old landfill's limited lifespan.

Lower Saucon Township stands to lose more than $2 million in host fees it currently earns as the host municipality for the landfill if it closes.

At numerous meetings held over the past 17 months, some residents have decried the potential loss of landfill revenue, while others have cited quality of life and ecological concerns in voicing their opposition to the proposed expansion.