UPPER NAZARETH TWP., Pa. – The Nazareth Area School District (NASD) is moving forward with plans to take control of a former cheese-making business through eminent domain.

At a meeting last week, the school board approved spending up to $1.8 million for the Calandra’s property at 350 and 370 East Lawn Road in Upper Nazareth Township.

The more than nine-acre site includes two parcels; one is the former Calandra’s store; the other is surrounding farmland. Immediately to the south of the property is Nazareth Area Middle School.

Northampton County property records show the school district took control of the property from the Calandra family in December.

The school board, citing a “pressing need for additional property… due to the increased enrollment” within the district, previously voted to seek condemnation for the property so that it could be acquired through eminent domain. Officials said the move was necessary so the district could relocate its administrative offices. Those offices are currently near the high school.

The board said the Calandra property also would be used for the “development of athletic fields and recreation space.”

At the meeting last week, it was noted that the $1.8 million figure was what an appraiser determined would be “just compensation” for the property. The final amount is subject to change.

Previously, a developer proposed building 154 apartments within five buildings on the site. Those plans were met with pushback from the surrounding community. The township’s zoning officer ruled that the proposal violated density regulations.

A public hearing scheduled for last July had to be moved because the crowd that wanted to attend was too big for the room. It was rescheduled for October, but that hearing was also continued, with no new date announced.

Despite the actions taken by the Nazareth Area School District, the plans for apartments at the site aren’t officially off the table yet. An agenda posted for Wednesday’s township supervisors meeting includes consideration of an extension request from the developer.

Calandra’s Italian Cheese opened at the site decades ago, but closed in 2020, with the owners announcing their intention to retire.