U. SAUCON TWP., Pa. – The Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors approved zoning changes to accommodate a proposed mixed-use development Monday night at the township building.
Arcadia Land Company and Realen Properties presented plans for a 130-acre mixed-use development called Promenade Park at the board’s Jan. 26 meeting. The project is slated for the Stabler Corporate Center site, currently known as Stabler Pathways. The land — which is owned by LU Properties LLC, an affiliate of Lehigh University — is located in the township’s Enterprise Overlay Zone, between the Promenade Saucon Valley shops and office buildings to the west.
Ultimate project approval required a zoning amendment, which was approved Monday. Officially, the amendment adds the Planned Residential Development zone as a use permitted by right to the township’s Enterprise Overlay Zone. The zoning amendment also creates project design guidelines and included requirements for open space.
Developers have pitched the Promenade Park project as a walkable neighborhood of residential, commercial and recreational uses. The proposal connects for the first time the existing corporate, health care, institutional and retail facilities along Center Valley Parkway.
Arcadia officials said plans call for 250,000 square feet of commercial office and medical space, 150 senior living residences, 200 for-sale townhomes, 850 luxury leasing homes and a hotel. All will offer access to the community’s trail network, which will connect to the Promenade Saucon Valley shops and existing offices.
Supervisors’ approval Monday night was on the zoning ordinance, not the plan itself.
A presentation on Jan. 27, 2025, shows the proposed location of Promenade Park.
Public comments
The vote came after a public hearing which featured an ordinance review, staff comments, supervisor questions and public comment. In total, nine individuals addressed the board during the hearing. All nine supported the ordinance and most had direct or indirect connections to the Promenade Saucon Valley shops.
“We have a need for something more expansive,” said Manny Rodriguez, who owns a business in the shopping center. “The development is well planned.”
“This is about allowing growth in the right place,” commented Bruce Haines.
Brian Hill said the Park’s residential component would provide a “built-in workforce” for nearby office tenants.
Rendering of the proposed Promenade Park
Provided photo
Development strategy
Proponents state the project is consistent with Upper Saucon’s growth directives. The township’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan implemented a growth management strategy to “incorporate flexibility for mixed-use development at appropriate levels of density, intensity and mix” in various districts, including the EOZ.
Officials planned to increase opportunities for high density residential development by allowing for a mix of uses in the EOZ. This would result “in a variety of upper floor living and live work opportunities as part of a mixed-use campus style development.”
Another 2020 CP goal was to create conditions that are attractive to contemporary office users “to increase the range of high-quality employment opportunities.” This would be implemented in part by encouraging residential development in and around the EOZ to create a sustainable mixed-use town center.”
The township has 193 acres of non-agricultural land in the EOZ.
The Promenade Park development is proposed between the Promenade Saucon Valley shops and an office building that houses 30 employers immediately to the west.
Plans include 50 acres of park and natural land, interconnecting trails, a public dog run and access to the previously hidden Lake Thomas, those associated with the project indicate.
The complex is expected to be built in phases over three to five years.
The Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors meets on April 27, 2026.
WFMZ-TV | Steve Althouse