Commission denies 10‑year sidewalk postponement request at 1037 N. Quebec Street

The Allentown City Planning Commission on an unspecified date denied a land‑development request to postpone sidewalk installation for 10 years along the frontage of 1037 North Quebec Street. Planning staff recommended denial; the property owner’s attorney argued that large stretches of North Quebec lack sidewalks and that installing an isolated segment would not meaningfully improve pedestrian connectivity.

Melissa (planning staff) said staff’s analysis concluded sidewalks would “serve a public purpose to provide a safer pedestrian path” from Union Boulevard to industrial uses along North Quebec and that there are no unique physical conditions preventing construction. Petitioner counsel Tom Schlegel (representing QRIII LLC) presented photos and mapping showing long stretches of the street without sidewalks and argued that installing a short segment in front of his client’s property would create a non‑connecting stub that offers little pedestrian benefit.

Commissioners rejected the postponement request. Several commissioners said it would be inappropriate to remove or fail to replace existing sidewalk; one commissioner characterized the applicant’s proposal as “changing the status quo in a negative way.” The motion to deny the 10‑year postponement carried on a voice vote; no roll call tally was recorded in the transcript. A formal denial means the petitioner must install sidewalks as required by the city’s land‑development standards.

What’s next: The applicant must revise plans to provide the required sidewalk improvements consistent with staff comments and the planning commission ruling.