ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Allentown developer Nat Hyman is preparing to file a lawsuit against the City of Allentown and other officials, claiming that the city’s failure to address homeless encampments along Jordan Creek is causing serious pollution and violating multiple environmental laws.
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Developer sues City of Allentown over garbage, homeless encampment near properties
Hyman previously filed a lawsuit in Lehigh County in April 2025, saying the city’s failure to maintain its property along the creek is causing harm to Hyman’s adjacent properties.
‘I just feel unsafe’: Tenants agree with developer, who is suing city over garbage, homeless encampment near properties
In a new legal notice submitted Tuesday by Hyman’s attorneys, on behalf of several of his property companies, the city is accused of allowing trash, human waste, and other pollutants to collect on city-owned land between Washington and Gordon streets.
When it rains, the letter says, these materials are washed into Jordan Creek and the city’s stormwater system, ultimately reaching the Lehigh River.
Nat Hyman
Hyman owns nearby apartment buildings that house more than 400 tenants and argues that both his properties and the surrounding low-income, minority communities are being negatively impacted by the city’s inaction.
Hyman’s legal team claims this violates state and federal clean water laws, including the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, the federal Clean Water Act, and stormwater permit regulations.
Nat Hyman
The legal filing also claims the city is violating Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which guarantees residents the right to clean water and a healthy environment. It says the city is acting as a ‘poor steward of public lands’ by failing to maintain the creek area like it does other city parks.
Hyman’s legal team names specific city officials in the notice, including Mayor Matt Tuerk, Parks and Recreation Director Mandy Tolino, Recycling and Solid Waste Manager Brett Stout, and Police Chief Charles Roca, alleging they’ve failed to enforce laws that would prevent pollution and protect the community.
Nat Hyman
The letter describes the homeless encampments as a public nuisance and says the city is effectively using the Jordan Creek area as a dumping ground by not enforcing clean-up or offering long-term solutions. It argues this results in environmental injustice by placing the burden of pollution on already disadvantaged communities.
“The City is not just allowing, but encouraging the homeless population to stay in the Jordan Creek properties that are adjacent to low-income, minority areas, and thereby subjecting the minority and low-income residents to the pollution and contaminated run-off from these homeless encampments. While we all want to treat homeless individuals in a humane and compassionate way, the City seems to have decided that the negative consequences of living adjacent to homeless encampments should only be borne by its low-income and minority residents,” the legal notice of intent to sue submitted by Hyman’s attorneys says.
In addition to threatening legal action, Hyman says he’s open to negotiate a solution. The letter says he’s willing to make a financial contribution to help the city, or a nonprofit develop a long-term plan, including a potential homeless shelter similar to one in nearby Bethlehem.
Nat Hyman
It says the 60-day notice period required before filing a lawsuit is a chance to find a solution.
If no agreement is reached within 60 days, his team says they plan to file lawsuits in both state and federal court.
69 News has reached out to the City of Allentown and is awaiting comment.