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Muhlenberg Board approves Walmart online pickup and delivery expansion on Allentown Pike
Summary
The Muhlenberg Board of Commissioners granted a conditional‑use approval for a small building addition at the Walmart on 537 Allentown Pike to support online pickup and delivery. The board approved the application after testimony on parking, lot coverage and stormwater controls and will issue a written decision within 45 days.
Muhlenberg Township — June 15, 2026 — The Board of Commissioners voted to grant a conditional‑use and land‑development approval for Walmart's proposed online pickup and delivery addition at 537 Allentown Pike.
Solicitor Kelsey Francowski opened the advertised hearing and applicant counsel Jared Burns presented the case, saying the proposal includes a small building addition to facilitate the store's online delivery and pickup program. "The property is currently improved with the Walmart Super Center measuring 205,667 square feet," Burns told the board, and the applicant described a proposed building addition of about 5,064 square feet to support the online program.
The applicant acknowledged several existing zoning nonconformities: current lot coverage reported at 87.6% (the ordinance maximum is 60%) and 857 parking spaces on site versus a nominal requirement of 1,029 under the C2 Shopping Center zoning standards. Applicant engineer Michael Myers said the project will restripe and reconfigure parking so that new spaces adjacent to the addition will meet the requested 10‑by‑18‑foot width. "We're going to make sure the new restriped areas that we are putting in are going to match the 10 ft by 18 ft," Myers said.
Burns also presented a parking demand analysis submitted with the application, which concluded that only 409 spaces are needed during peak hours and that the proposed changes would not create adverse impacts for adjacent property owners. He said the planning commission previously recommended approval of the conditional use and conditional‑final plan at its June 11 special meeting, subject to SDI's most recent review letter.
No members of the public asked for party status, and after questions from the board a motion to grant the application and the requested land‑development approvals (conditioned on SDI's review letter) was made and seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote. Solicitor Francowski said a written decision will follow within the 45‑day statutory period.
The board's approval does not eliminate outstanding administrative or technical review: the applicant acknowledged it is conducting additional site investigation to confirm the adequacy of existing stormwater facilities and agreed to include additional landscaping and other measures as part of the final site plan.
Next steps: the township solicitor will issue the written decision within 45 days and the applicant must satisfy conditions identified in SDI's review letter and any standard conditions in the written decision before permits and construction can proceed.
