City Council Moves to Slash Residential Development Plans

In a recent government meeting, Lehigh City officials discussed the proposed amendment to the village overlay general plan, specifically the removal of the Pioneer Village overlay designation at the southwest corner of 1100 West and Pioneer Crossing. This decision follows concerns raised by the city council regarding the density of residential units and necessary infrastructure improvements in the area.

The Pioneer Village overlay, which was introduced in January 2022, initially allocated 500 residential units across approximately 66 acres. However, city officials have now recommended reverting to the underlying general plan designations, which include Low Density Residential (LDR), Low Density Residential-A (LDRA), and open space. This change is expected to reduce the potential residential units in the area to about 110, with the remaining 390 units either being transferred to other locations or eliminated altogether, pending further city council direction.

The discussion highlighted the complexity of the situation, with multiple property owners involved and a history of ambitious planning for the area. The Development Review Committee (DRC) provided four red line comments on the proposal, indicating ongoing scrutiny of the plan's implications. The meeting concluded with an invitation for questions from the commission, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the decision-making process.