WEEKLY UPDATE MARCH 5, 2018

                                      Northampton Area School District Wants Fair Market Value For Land

“Northampton Area School District wants to be sure it gets fair market value if the district sells property in East Allen Township to a developer seeking to build warehouses”.

“The district will ask Blair E Bates, a real estate consulting group based in Bethlehem, to appraise the nearly 93-acre property along Seemsville Road and Nor-Bath Boulevard, the school board decided last week”.

“The district bought the land in 1995 for $227,500”.

“The Jaindl-Watson Land Company wants to build six warehouses totaling 2.5 million square feet in Allen Township on land bounded by Nor-Bath, Seemsville, Howertown Road and Mud Lane”.  Read the Morning Call article by

Kevin Duffy:  http://enewspaper.mcall.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=61542527-72b5-48cb-a9dd-6292f08cdab7

                                                         

                                                       Citizens Group Challenges Land Use

“Citizens for Accountability & Responsible Development (CARD) in East Allen Township posted a copy of a letter on social media that was sent to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) and numerous local, state and federal officials concerning a proposal for a right of way and easement on about nine acres of district land”.   Read the Northampton Press article by Paul Willistein: http://northampton.thelehighvalleypress.com/2018/02/28/citizens-group-challenges-land-use

                 

                      C.A.R.D. Sends A Letter To The Secretary Of General Services & The Attorney General

On Friday 02/09/2018, a representative of C.A.R.D. went to the Northampton County Courthouse to obtain a copy of the 92.32 acre property in East Allen Twp. that NASD purchased for $227,500.00 in 1995 from the Commonwealth of PA. On page 3 of the Deed are restrictions that state:

“UNDER AND SUBJECT to the condition that the land herein conveyed shall be used for education and related purposes of the school district and if at any time the GRANTEE or its successors in function conveys said property or authorizes or permits said property to be used for any purpose other than those aforementioned, the title to the land herein conveyed shall immediately revert to and revest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Monday morning we emailed and sent by certified mail, a letter to the Secretary of General Services, Curt Topper and to the Attorney General, Josh Shapiro respectfully requesting a timely response on the legality of this Deed. The letter and deed are below :

NASD is arranging for an appraisal of 93 acres of land that Jaindl Watson wants to buy in East Allen to shift Seemsvile Road 650 feet east across the district property  for the six warehouses they are building  totaling 2.5 million square feet in Allen Township. School Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik was quoted as saying, “We want to make sure the district is getting its fair share.”

In the opinion of Citizens for Accountability & Responsible Development, “fair share” should mean more than financial benefit, both for the school district and for the community.  We need to ensure we receive our “fair share:”

— of rural roads which are safe to travel, both for our citizens and for the school busses which transport our children.  Even with improvement, our roads can’t handle the forecasted 1,624 daily tractor trailer trips.

— of clean air, not fouled by the pollution which accompanies more than a thousand trucks traveling through our community each day.

— of farmland, preserved for the citizens who live here now, and for our children.

CARD is asking:

•       Does adding a road by a developer for the sole purpose of tractor trailer access in and out of a warehouse and a detention basin constitute “education and related purposes” in the hopes that NASD might possibly build a school on this tract of land in the next 10 years?
•       Is building 2.5 million square ft. warehouses with 1,624 daily tractor trailer trips, along side of a planned elementary school responsible development for the health and safety of the district’s children?
•       Is 1.8 million in tax revenue the price for NASD to possibly ignore or work around a deed restriction compromising plans for a future school and an already traffic burdened rural community?

We encourage residents to get involved, attend meetings, stay informed and spread the word!

We need all the help we can get!  If you are interested in helping 
please email us at  [email protected]

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