The Falls Township Board of Supervisors was divided Monday evening, but a 3-2 vote granted approval for construction of a 973,200-square-foot warehouse along the Delaware River.
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Supervisors John Palmer, Brian Galloway, and Vice Chairperson Jeff Boraski voted to approve the plan, while Supervisor Erin Mullen and Chairperson Jeff Dence cast nay votes for LPC Morrisville LP’s proposal.
Previously, concerns had been raised about flooding, traffic, and the impact on nature in the area.
LPC Morrisville will construct the 973,200-square-foot warehouse on a 96-acre site at the former Solvay and part of the Rogers Foam Corporation tracts along East Post Road and Biles Creek at 2300 Pennsylvania Avenue in the Morrisville section of Falls Township.
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Although no tenants have been secured for the proposed warehouse, several companies have been reported to have shown interest.
In the past, officials have said the warehouse could bring up to 500 jobs to the site and bring in $963,000 in real estate taxes to the Pennsbury School District, $41,000 in municipal taxes, and $33,000 in yearly local services tax revenue.
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The developer told officials late last year that the logistics facility design would remove some of the current wetlands and expand the area for wetlands on another part of the property.
The developer said at the time that they worked with federal and state officials to create a plan that improves the habitat and adds tidal wetlands along the river.
The developer wants to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) adjust the floodplain for the site after improvements are made.
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Representatives for LPC Morrisville said the submission will be made to FEMA to move the floodplain boundary after construction. The developer and the township engineer have expressed confidence the boundary would be shifted.
The property is home to the cricket frog, which is not very common in Pennsylvania.
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Eric Moser, a representative for the developer, previously said a portion of the property is capped and is not to be disturbed due to an existing environmental covenant on the site.
The area is presently blocked off with a fence and has been remediated of contamination, project engineer Victor Grande said.
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To handle traffic near site, developers planning to enlarge South Pennsylvania Avenue in the area of the warehouse, officials said.
Furthermore, separate truck and passenger car access would be provided to the warehouse. Route 13 would be the truck route, followed by Tyburn Road and South Pennsylvania Avenue. The direction for trucks leaving the site would be to turn left and travel down South Pennsylvania Avenue. The location would be accessible to passenger vehicles from both the East Post Road and South Pennsylvania Avenue driveways, officials said.
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