UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. – A major proposed housing development in Lehigh County is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Promenade Park just got the zoning approval it needed to move forward. It would be built in a clearing, sitting just behind the Promenade Shops in Upper Saucon Township. Right now, it’s just open patches of dirt surrounded by trees.
“There are some pad sites in the back of the Promenade that still haven’t been built on. So that will all get incorporated. It’s all land that’s been zoned for development for years. It’s just that we added another use that wasn’t allowed before,” said Trisha Lang, Upper Saucon’s Community Development Director.
Lang said that use is allowing Acadia Land Development to build Promenade Park, a planned community of homes, apartments, senior living spaces, and even a hotel and office space on the land. The project’s website puts the number of projected homes and apartments at 1,200, but Lang said it could end up being more than that.
“The number of units can skyrocket in that amount of space when they’re not all single-family homes,” said Lang.
Lang said the township has high hopes for the project, because it could be a big help to the existing Promenade Shops next door.
“The Promenade is one of the biggest taxpayers in the Township, so it’s important that we support them and they remain as successful as they have been. So, putting rooftops right next to it is an ideal situation,” said Lang.
The roadway, water, and sewer lines are all there just waiting to be extended when the project gets final approval. Lang said that could take a while.
“It’s probably another three months to get through the process. It’s got to go to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, it’s got to go to the Planning Commission here, and then get to the Board of Supervisors for final approval,” said Lang.
But once that’s complete, Lang said the Township is looking forward to the growth.
“It will be a change to the landscape, but I think it’s a desirable opportunity,” said Lang.