The proposed River Pointe Logistics Center in northern Northampton County will be the subject of a state environmental hearing next month.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said Monday it will hold the meeting to consider Bethlehem developer Lou Pektor’s applications to allow the discharge of water, known as a National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System permit, and a Water Obstruction and Encroachment Joint Permit.
The hearing will be 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at Bangor Area High School, 187 Five Points-Richmond Road, Upper Mount Bethel Township. Representatives from DEP, River Pointe and the Northampton County Conservation District will attend.
If completed, River Pointe, which is in Upper Mount Bethel just south of Portland near Route 611 and Interstate 80, would cover more than 800 acres and have 12 buildings totaling nearly 6 million square feet. The development includes eight in the main part of River Pointe, with proposed industrial buildings totaling nearly 4 million square feet, and two additional ones across River Road at the site of the former Portland Generating Station electric plant that total 1.5 million square feet.
The discharge permit application seeks to allow stormwater from construction activities at the site to run into an unknown tributary of the Delaware River; an unknown tributary of Allegheny Creek; and other “exceptional value wetlands,” and is subject to special protections under the federal Clean Water Act, according to a DEP news release.
The proposal, which has undergone extensive review in Upper Mount Bethel and before the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, has drawn sharp criticism from residents who worry about increased traffic and environmental degradation, among other concerns. Last week, Upper Mount Bethel supervisors approved several lot submissions for the project, Pektor said.
Anyone who wishes to testify Nov. 13 should submit a written notice to DEP Regional Communications Manager Colleen Connolly at [email protected]. Requests will be accepted up to the day of the hearing. The release said individuals attending the hearing will have the opportunity to testify; however, individuals who register ahead of time will be given priority on the agenda.
People with a disability who wish to testify and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation should also contact Connolly via email or the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at 800-654-5984.
The permit application documentation and conceptual plans are available for review at the Northampton County Conservation District Office, 14 Gracedale Ave., Upper Nazareth Township, phone number 610-829-6276; and at the DEP Northeast Regional Office in Wilkes-Barre, phone number 570-826-2511.
Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone can be reached at [email protected].