WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – The Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning ordinance for a healthcare campus Monday night at the municipal building. The vote was 6-1.
The move allows Lehigh Valley Health Network to build a satellite hospital at 3230 MacArthur Blvd. by rezoning the property from R-2, Low Density Residential, and R-4, Medium Density Residential, to R-3, Low/Medium Density Residential. The new hospital would be constructed on land that sits adjacent to MacArthur Road and Lehigh Street.
Hospital officials said 107 acres of the 147-acre parcel would be allocated to residential zoning. The hospital also proposed to build a bypass in alignment with Lehigh Street and MacArthur Road leading to the hospital property. It would additionally offer a shortcut to get onto Mechanicsville Road. It would end across from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
The approval was not without controversy.
LVHN’s proposal for digital signage was deemed too large by Commissioner Taylor Stakes. This sentiment was echoed by Commissioner Lee Christman. However, engineers associated with the project and LVHN officials were adamant the sign stayed. They noted several times they were aware it was a source of contention with residents of nearby Rosewood Lane and Dogwood Drive. Given this, Monday night’s proposal featured a 24% reduction from previous versions.
However, LVHN officials said the sign had to be that big to identify the facility as a hospital to motorists. Some of those motorists could be in the proverbial “rock and a hard place” when in a medical emergency or trying to transport someone who needs immediate medical help. In that state, subtly was not an asset, they said.
Christman earlier in the meeting said that if the hospital didn’t reduce its size, then LVHN shouldn’t bother coming to Whitehall Township. However, that statement changed during the meeting, as he said that while he still wasn’t enamored with the sign, the positives of the project outweighed the negatives and that he would in fact vote for it, which he later did.
During a public comment session, opinions were varied but the consensus was that neighboring residents were against the project, citing the sign and traffic, while residents from other areas of Whitehall Township said the hospital would be an asset and would provide comprehensive healthcare close to home.
Liquor license transfer
The board approved a liquor license transfer. The transfer of the license from the now-shuttered Casa Catrina Mexican Restaurant will be used at 4117 Main St. where there are two businesses on site including a convenience store and a pharmacy.