The South Whitehall Planning Commission offered a review of a sketch plan for an expansion of religious facility Thursday night at the township building.
The proposal calls for the consolidation of three tracts with a school and supporting facilities at the Al-Ahad Islamic Center, located at 1410, 1500, and 1504 Ridgeview Drive. The development will consist of a 28,235-square-foot educational center, a 26,975-square-foot place of worship, four pickleball courts, playground, soccer field and two stormwater management along with parking.
Erick Schock, an attorney representing the applicant, said the school would feature 20 total classrooms with 12 designated for elementary students, and the remaining eight allocated for secondary students. Overall Schock indicated the educational facility would house “a few hundred students.”
Township reviews of the sketch plan require a traffic analysis documenting the acceptability of the site’s proposed circulation. Concerns were also raised by planners Thursday night about what could be a “congested corridor” with the arrival and departure of students.
As it was a sketch plan, the commission rendered no formal verdict.
Chase Bank
A sketch plan review for renovation of an existing financial institution facility was removed from the evening’s agenda.
The Chase Bank proposal is slated for 1603 N. Cedar Crest Blvd. and involves a dumpster addition, sidewalk connection and parking area changes.
Chase has Lehigh Valley branches in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, with another under construction in Trexlertown.