{"id":258082,"date":"2025-10-29T05:38:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/258082\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T05:38:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:38:11","slug":"opponents-say-proposed-wood-avenue-warehouse-in-easton-will-pose-flood-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/258082\/","title":{"rendered":"Opponents say proposed Wood Avenue warehouse in Easton will pose flood risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developers behind the proposed Wood Avenue megawarehouse<\/a> are requesting a special exception<\/a> from Easton Zoning Hearing Board tied to one piece of the project.<\/p>\n

Residents are concerned that it could increase flood risks. <\/p>\n

Scannell Properties, the developer of the warehouse, is looking to relocate a watercourse, retention basin and access road within a designated floodplain. This is part of a greater construction of a 1-million square-foot warehouse along Wood Avenue. <\/p>\n

The warehouse needs approval from Easton<\/a>, which rests in the hands of The Easton Planning Commission. The commission is continuing to hear testimony<\/a> from both the developer and the opposition during its monthly meetings. <\/p>\n

The Zoning Hearing Board held a special hearing Sept. 18 to hear testimony from Scannell\u2019s team, which included project manager Donald Haas and environmental consultant Jeff Smith. <\/p>\n

On Monday evening, residents opposing the plan presented their own expert witness. Dozens filled the room, including several attorneys. <\/p>\n

Opponents are concerned that the plan would cause environmental issues, increased flooding, and affect connecting bodies of water such as the Bushkill Creek. <\/p>\n

Attorney Edward Shaughnessy, representing nearby residents, called David Brandes, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lafayette College<\/a>, to testify about his review of the project\u2019s stormwater and channel design plans.<\/p>\n

Brandes told the board that his main concern is the adequacy of the proposed flood channel and runoff modeling. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo the main point is that the channel is not correctly designed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that the development would increase impervious surface area from about 2.7 acres to 54 acres, which would result in an additional 6 million gallons of runoff during a 10-year storm and about 10 million gallons during a 100-year storm. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat increased volume is also basically extending the high flows from the site, and so that\u2019s going to tend to cause some downstream erosion,\u201d Brandes said.<\/p>\n

\"WoodDevelopers of the 1525 Wood Ave Warehouse are seeking a special exception to relocate an existing tributary that will daylight into the Bushkill Creek, a retention basin, and a 40-foot-wide access road.Courtesy of the Easton Planning Commission.<\/p>\n

He also questioned the hydrological models used by the developer\u2019s engineers. He said they relied on scaled data from Bushkill Creek rather than site-specific measurements from Spring Brook, which he argued have different characteristics. <\/p>\n

Brandes said that approach may have led to underestimating potential flood flows and runoff. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have more overbank flows and more localized flooding, because that channel is not designed to contain the flows that are likely to be coming downstream,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Brandes added that the soil type assumptions used in the analysis could be inaccurate and that regulatory approvals do not necessarily ensure safety or compliance with local conditions. <\/p>\n

He recommended that Scannell install a stream gauge on Spring Brook and develop a runoff model specific to the site.<\/p>\n

During a heated cross-examination, Scannell\u2019s attorney, Mark Kaplan, challenged Brandes\u2019s conclusions, pointing out that he had not conducted field measurements or submitted findings to state regulatory agencies. <\/p>\n

Kaplan emphasized that the project met required engineering and environmental standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have done everything that we are required to do, and other than sitting here and showing us pictures and drawing conclusions, you have not done a study, and that\u2019s what the law requires. You can\u2019t come in here and just criticize what was done,\u201d Kaplan said.<\/p>\n

Several other residents spoke to the board in opposition. Xavier Garcia-Molina, a resident who lives 85 feet from the Bushkill Creek<\/a>, said he has observed high water levels firsthand after various rain events and has documented those conditions through photos and videos.<\/p>\n

He said the project\u2019s hydrologic study might underestimate the real flood risk, noting how quickly the creek rises even after modest rainfall.<\/p>\n

He argued that Easton\u2019s zoning board and city officials should not rely solely on external agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when determining approval. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Zoning Hearing Board opens up this hearing so that you and I can both talk about our differences of opinion and our interpretation of the study,\u201d Garcia-Molina said. <\/p>\n

Bruce McCutcheon, a city resident representing the 131-member Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, also spoke at the hearing. He said the creek is a \u201ctreasured resource,\u201d home to a Class A wild trout population that draws anglers from across the region.<\/p>\n

McCutcheon warned that stormwater runoff from the proposed warehouse could raise stream temperatures and carry pollutants like road salt and oil into the creek, harming trout habitats and water quality. <\/p>\n

He said such impacts could violate state regulations that protect high-quality cold-water fisheries and conflict with Easton\u2019s stormwater permit obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is this board\u2019s responsibility to protect Easton residents, reduce long-term municipal liability and safeguard the Bushkill for decades to come,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

The Easton Zoning Hearing Board will continue the hearing at a later, unannounced date.<\/p>\n

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