A mix of clouds and sun. More seasonable with lower humidity. The small chance of a spotty shower late closer to the Maryland border. .

Partly to mostly cloudy with a spotty shower, mainly south of the Lehigh Valley.

BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. - At the request of the applicant, the Bethlehem Township Planning Commission on Monday tabled the preliminary/final plans and conditional use presentation for 4406 Easton Ave.

Andrew Bohl, a representative with Hanover Engineering, said at the meeting that the applicant — New Jersey-based Highview Commercial LLC — wishes to first have discussions with township staff members to address their engineering concerns before making a presentation to the commission.

Last year, the applicant presented sketch plans for a 36-unit apartment building and a Sheetz convenience store. It was unsure if the development would consist of both, or just the apartment building.

The property to the north of the site on Easton Avenue is Blue Grillhouse and to the south is Shively's Moving and Storage. To the west of the proposed development is a vacant lot, which is in the process of becoming a St. Luke's medical building, according to Bohl.

Bohl said the applicant is proposing one driveway for both the entrance and exit, and there's more parking included in the plan than there was on the initial sketch plan.

At a previous meeting before the zoning hearing board, the board granted the developer relief to build the three-story structure at 45 feet tall from the finished floor to the peak of the roof.

Chairperson Leslie Walker expressed concerns with the building's height and the close proximity to the road, saying these aspects can make the street seem narrower than it is.

Walker doesn't want the township to have the look of a city, he said, asking the applicant to consider pulling the L-shaped building back from the corner of the roads.

Planner Don Wright also expressed disapproval for the "big L-shaped building" and its close proximity to the nearby roads.

He noted one entryway potentially posing a problem because traffic stacks up past it on Easton Avenue and Farmersville Road, and he'd like to see another entryway "at least for emergency vehicles."

"Please make sure you get these into your conversations when you’re working things out," Wright said.

Wright also brought up stormwater issues in front of the building, and mentioned a nearby floodplain at the end of the property on Farmersville Road.

"Make sure you get all those resolved," he said.

A sketch plan for a Sheetz convenience store with fueling and a three-story apartment building was withdrawn from Monday night's meeting agenda.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Get local Breaking News alerts sent directly to your inbox.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.